Whatever your traditions, rituals or beliefs are during this winter season, the busyness of preparations can begin to overshadow the merry, jolly, peace on earth good will toward men.
If you can allow yourself to get into the natural rhythm of the season, the shortening days actually lend themselves to a slower pace that allows for some reflection and time for rejuvenation balanced with fellowship and breaking bread with others that is very different than the frantic pace that can sweep us along in it's swift current .
So here is a gentle reminder to slow down, take a deep breath, and remember your intentions. Then adjust your expectations, reprioritize, and carry on.
As our kids were growing up, I worked on customizing Christmas into something meaningful for us, a sort of hybrid of what I liked and wanted to keep from my child-hood combined with other traditions that appealed to me, largely borrowed from ancient Solstice rituals.
Over the years, some traditions endured while others fell by the wayside, influenced by a combination of expectations, fluctuating finances, a scrooge among us, personal moral values/ethics, and the sometimes irresistible pull of ~ consumerism.
The approach of this winter season finds me continuing to strive for a meaningful balance. So far, the recipe consists of generous amounts of breathing outdoors on daily walks, joy, hope, trust, love, wonder, music, peace and believing.
Use the power of belief to accomplish what needs to be done, from finishing a short term project, to completing a monumental achievement.
Hope is the foundation upon which to build our daily lives and work. It nourishes our spirits, illuminating the path ahead.
TRUST is an affirmation that allows change to happen, possibilities to be realized, and miracles to unfold. Trust trumps fear, when transition threatens to paralyze you. It instills confidence.
It is the gentle reminder to move with intention towards what we want the world to be.
I'm still tweaking it; come by for a taste, and together we'll create something delicious!
All components are available as both cards and prints for sharing at https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeasonsGleanings