Old Year and New Year
I realize I haven't posted anything since that last December snowstorm, and we may be getting another one this weekend. If so we'll be staying inside the house and hoping the power stays on and the car doesn't get too badly buried. In a condominium complex your condo fees pay to have someone else shovel the walk and clear away the snow in the parking lot; however, you still have to dig out your car, unless you are like my neighbor who has one of the limited spots in the garage. For three months out of the year, in winter, I covet my neighbor's space and wish wish we'd spent an extra couple thousand dollars back in 1991 when we moved into our building for one of the spaces that was up for grabs then. So this Friday we will back the car into a space next to the building, which will hopefully act as a partial snow barrier, and hope for the best. I often visit my mother on Fridays, but this week depends on weather.
The end of 2009 was happy and sad. Sad, because my friend Mark Owings from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society passed away just before the new year. He will be missed by many. The death of a friend makes you think about doing some of those things you want to do but never seem to get around to. Mark's wife Jul said she had lost her best friend (they were married 30 years). On New Year's Eve we went to a party in my building (I wasn't really in a party mood) and most of the night I spent just talking to Tim and thinking how grateful I am to have him as my husband and friend.
As for that party, it was a long-standing annual tradition and the woman who threw the party announced that the New Year's 2010 party would be her last one. As usual, the food was awesome and it was interesting not only talking with but watching other people, especially the businessman who tried to have a friendly conversation with us but was so drunk he couldn't remember what he said from one sentence to the next. When the party started to break up he was still asking one of the servers for "more wine." I hope he wasn't driving.
On the other hand, we had some pretty good times with family and friends over the holidays. I don't really care for the Xtian aspects of the holidays and the superficial good cheer-love thy neighbor crap that rears its ugly head for one day a year (people should help & be kind to each other, especially the less fortunate and those without a voice--not just human--EVERY day of the year simply because it is compassionate and right and we really are all-connected). OK, stepping down from soapbox now, and I digress from one thing I really like about the holidays. At the winter solstice, the light starts returning, and the days get longer. It is the end of the long cold winter night, and there are lights everywhere in all colors of the rainbow, welcoming the light/warmth of the returning sun in a dazzling celebration of Yule. (This was one of my favorites). I'm sure there are some Xtians out there who are unaware that their holiday is rooted in old pagan themes. The annually-recurring death and birth of Jesus is a variation on the theme of the God's death and rebirth through the Goddess, by whatever names.
Just after New Year's, Tim developed a retinal tear that was successfully treated with laser surgery. Evidently people who are nearsighted and have had cataract surgery are more prone to them.
Working in a different department at work. What is different in this department is that I have a larger, more private work space. It is easy to take work to my desk and spread it out, and I can listen to Sirius Satellite Radio. It's a minor annoyance sometimes listening to the women on the other side of the partition yacking about men and clothes (guess that's why Bose headphones were invented). In the previous department, the people were nice but we were all crammed together and it was like being in a fishbowl.
Just before the holidays tried my hand at writing an e-book review for an author friend of mine. Had to sit down and read the story and write the review immediately after while the memory was fresh. After too much time has elapsed, I'll remember I liked something, but the details are fuzzy.
Last Friday, I got to lead an Imbolc ritual (honoring the Goddess Brigit) for Turning Circle. It was a lot of fun. Someone commented that I seemed more confident than usual--I am normally a rather introverted person who usually feels self-conscious and even tongue-tied in front of a group. I told her that I decided I was just going to "B.S" my way through it when I felt nervous (and I also felt I had come up with a good ritual). Unfortunately, I found out later that night that a friend of mine lost his apartment & so his living arrangements are up in the air. Am trying to help him as best I can. Makes me want to pay off the rest of our mortgage quickly. It's easy to take having a roof over your head and various "creature comforts" (even something as simple as soap, cold juice in the fridge, or a can opener) for granted.
Click to viewFor those who might be interested, here was my brief introduction, culled from various sources in print and on the internets, to
- Falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Imbolc marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. For our ancestors it marked the time of quickening for many animals. This is perhaps the origin of the name Imbolc or Oimelc which means “in milk.” It is the Celtic word for Brigid’s Day, the festival of “The White Goddess” Brigid, “The Light Bringer.” It originated in Ireland as a holy day for Brigit, the Great Mother Goddess, who was the bride of the returned Sun God after giving birth to the God. She awakens from her recovery in the lengthening days of light. It is a time to celebrate new beginnings, new life, the return of the light. Also known as Candlemas, it is the time for taking down Yuletide greenery if it has not already been removed. Since Brigit is a Goddess of Fire, Imbolc was traditionally celebrated by the lighting of sacred fires.
- Brigit was also the patron of midwifery. She would bless any woman about to be hand fasted (married). This is the origin of the Anglo/American word “bride.” Brigit (Brighid, Brighid, Brid) comes from Breo-saighead, “Fiery Arrow,’”or Brigh, “Power.” She is often referred to as a triple Goddess, and is the goddess of bards and poets, healers, and craftsmen. Wells and fire are sacred to her. As healer, wells were places to heal the sick. As smith, fire is used to forge and create. Brigit is often represented by symbols associated with light and farm animals. (To see common symbols and associations for the Goddess Brigit, visit: www.goddessgift.com/ goddess-myths/goddess-symbols-Brigid.htm).