“This year’s (Christmas) does not have to be new and improved, more dramatic and moving than last year’s. The perfection is in the repetition, the sheer ordinariness, the intimate familiarity of a place known because we have visited it again and again, in so many different moments. Over the course of a lifetime there will be the sad (Christmas) and the joyous (Christmas), the thoughtful (Christmas) and the hopeful (Christmas), the transformative (Christmas) and even the boring (Christmas). This is not about progress, it is about circles, cycles, and seasons, and the way time moves, and things we must remember, because with ever-faster turnings of the wheel it can become easier to forget.” -“Sabbath,” by Wayne Muller

I can usually remember what I was reading at different transitional times in my life. A snowy, homesick day in China brings back memories of “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham and “A Circle of Quiet” by Madeline L’Engle. Early days of nursing Isia were coupled with a weighty tome on John Lennon. And these days, as my Dad recovers from his hemorrhagic stroke in early November, have been paired with “Sabbath” by Wayne Muller.  It’s been a practical reminder of rest during these past two intense months of baby-rearing, homeschooling & care-giving for my parents. It’s also helped me, especially that quote above, to adjust my expectations this Christmas. To not try to force a normal Christmas with all its trimmings. Instead we bypassed our tree this year, as well as stockings and handmade gifts, and went straight to holiday movies, mugs of hot chocolate, and naps. Lots of naps. 

It also brings me back to this special space, just in time for the New Year. Because the wheel keeps going faster, and sharing here is sweet rest in the midst of this journey. Thank you, always, for joining us along the way. Wishing all of us health, peace, and light in the New Year… and many naps too! (wink)

Love,

Cassidy