gratitude and observances

I love morning light, stormy skies, damp fog, wandering shadows, the scent of forests and rain, the rhythms of the sea, squishy yarn, simple things in life, time shared with friends, the dog on my feet, handmade gifts, and spending time with my son and granddaughters.

If you’re a fan of Mary Oliver, you may have already read this lovely poem of hers, if not many times over. Even if you are well acquainted with her words, this is worthy of a few moments:

The Sun by  Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone –
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance –
and have you ever felt for anything

such wild love –
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a world billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed –
or have you too
turned from this world-

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

– – –
When I mentioned above that one of the things I love are shadows, it reminds me of different things: how the shadow from the wood shutters peels across my piano each day; how the shadow of trees curve and undulate over a gently rolling landscape; or how, on moonlit nights, everything in its path — homes, trees, animals — stretch their shadows across the night-blue of snow covered fields.

Finished! and I love them!

One of you left a lovely note on my last post containing a quote that had me hopping off to Google to find out who put it into the world. Author Melody Beattie is said to have coined the following quote, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” See, someone else also thinks it’s the right thing to love what we have (in reference to what I wrote in my previous blog post).

Sorry this post has stretched out like fresh taffy! I realize it’s a faux pas to write long blog posts.

We received two December dinner invitations the other day and another yesterday. Yikes. I better start looking at dates to have some people over too. How does the Christmas season sneak up like that? What’s your favourite way of having people over during the Christmas season (open house, dinners, drinks & appies, or …)?

Until next Monday may you adopt the pace of nature and the gentleness of freshly fallen snow.