Advent calendar thoughts
It seems a lot of us have been puzzling about advent, making the most of the holidays, etc. and I just found this post on Apartment Therapy about a gratitude garland which I thought was brilliant. And there's some great inspiration for next year which is when I'm finally going to practice Advent in our home.
It seems a lot of things are getting put off until next year around here. Between the travails of pregnancy (and that's another post entirely) and fighting off the depression and angst that have been plaguing me even more than normal this year, I just haven't had it in me to do so many of the things that I wanted to institute this year. This was going to be the year when the traditions really meant something to Sophie. But I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Next year we'll have more space, I'll be feeling more like myself instead of a baby pod, and we'll finally be in The House that will be ours instead of feeling increasingly crammed into this condo. There's still time to put up our tree (hopefully tomorrow?), make cookies, and talk about the peace and joy that can come out of the darkness.
I heard the loveliest thought on NPR the other day: someone was asked what they do on the Solstice and he said that he goes out in the darkness and simply gives thanks that more light is coming, that the bleakness will give way to bounty, that life will renew again. I think that's what I need this year most of all. Just a promise that there's more coming, good things to come. We're incredibly blessed and yet... I still feel emptiness so often. But that will not always be.
It seems a lot of things are getting put off until next year around here. Between the travails of pregnancy (and that's another post entirely) and fighting off the depression and angst that have been plaguing me even more than normal this year, I just haven't had it in me to do so many of the things that I wanted to institute this year. This was going to be the year when the traditions really meant something to Sophie. But I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Next year we'll have more space, I'll be feeling more like myself instead of a baby pod, and we'll finally be in The House that will be ours instead of feeling increasingly crammed into this condo. There's still time to put up our tree (hopefully tomorrow?), make cookies, and talk about the peace and joy that can come out of the darkness.
I heard the loveliest thought on NPR the other day: someone was asked what they do on the Solstice and he said that he goes out in the darkness and simply gives thanks that more light is coming, that the bleakness will give way to bounty, that life will renew again. I think that's what I need this year most of all. Just a promise that there's more coming, good things to come. We're incredibly blessed and yet... I still feel emptiness so often. But that will not always be.