This week has been a time of reflecting on 2024 and preparing to step into 2025. In searching for a new way to review the year and create goals for the next 12 months, I searched the internet including podcast sites I've previously found helpful. The one that appealed to me was Mel Robbins' "How … Continue reading Intentional New Year
Letting Christmas Go
I sit at my dining table looking out at my patio garden that is bare--except for the scattering of leaves I need to rake. Birds fly to my feeder, grateful that I just loaded it with a rich blend of seeds and peanuts, something to suit the taste of multiple species and the squirrel who … Continue reading Letting Christmas Go
The White Christmas of Childhood
Christmas is a season of remembering. The older we become the more we work to recall those earliest memories that have grown fuzzy and faded over time. As I watched the local evening news this week, every night included the weatherman's predictions for snow and if we'd have a White Christmas in central North Carolina. … Continue reading The White Christmas of Childhood
Shoring Up Our Joy
Over the past week, I've done two things that brought me joy. Storing up good things in my internal well helps to balance out the sadness of grief--that I spoke of last week in my post Struggling During the Holidays: Hope for Depression. Yesterday, I took lunch to my cousin. Growing up, she was like an … Continue reading Shoring Up Our Joy
Struggling During the Holidays: Hope for Depression
Last Sunday was the first in the Advent season of the Christian Calendar, a time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah--the incarnate God who would walk this Earthly journey. People of other faiths have their own traditions that are special at this or other times of year. When we're in these seasons of … Continue reading Struggling During the Holidays: Hope for Depression
Transitioning from Thanksgiving to Christmas: Continuing Gratitude
In last week's post, I considered what it is to be thankful, to hold that space of gratitude that is at the heart of Thanksgiving: "Recently I came across the word "dwell" and it struck a cord with me. I looked up the word, wanting to reconsider all the meaning. One of the definitions, "to … Continue reading Transitioning from Thanksgiving to Christmas: Continuing Gratitude
Dwell in Thanks Giving
Next Thursday we'll gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. For some, this is an almost overlooked holiday in order to move on to Christmas. In retail, the Halloween displays were quickly replaced by loads of goods for Christmas, with the scant offerings for Thanksgiving edged out, and "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" … Continue reading Dwell in Thanks Giving
Preparing for the Holidays: Take Good Care
This week I found myself bumping into challenges, wondering how much of what I was feeling was related to growing older. My nature has been to push forward, no matter what, because that's how you make things happen, how you achieve your goals. While I've been retired for over two years, no longer with the … Continue reading Preparing for the Holidays: Take Good Care
Camino Journey: My Night in the Convent
On my Camino journey, the lodging I enjoyed the most was my first night in Spain. I'd taken the water taxi out of Portugal across the Minho River at Caminha and finished my eight miles that day in the town of A Guarda, Spain. I stopped at a cafe for tea and a slice of … Continue reading Camino Journey: My Night in the Convent
Bittersweet Halloween: The Passing of Time
Last night, I enjoyed Halloween with my grandsons, Baker 6 y.o. and Parks 4 y.o. I felt fortunate that Baker had asked me the week before, "Grammy, will you go trick-or-treating with us?" Fortunate, because he lives within a thirty minute drive and secondly because he wants me to join in with the group that … Continue reading Bittersweet Halloween: The Passing of Time
Connie Rosser Riddle 