We had a quiet end to this difficult year, and I have to admit - again - that I am not sorry to see it end. The old ones are starting to leave us; friends are failing in health; we are slowing down considerably, too; and illness -- sometimes serious -- seems to want to be adopted into the family. All the year's troubles made holiday memories more precious. I will hate to take down the Christmas tree.
Reflection seems to be appropriate at this slower time of year, and I receive a great deal of personal strength from meditating while being out in Nature. For example, on several evenings this Fall while going to shut up the chickens for the night, I was thrilled to see little brown bats flitting above me in the dusk. They were starting their Fall migration. It was something I had never seen and the sight filled me with wonder. Their presence on the farm, even if they were only passing through, was like a blessing. Such a small happening, but it filled my soul with joy, and such events never fail to feed my thirst to understand God's Creation and express His Goodness in whatever I do. (If you're an atheist like my husband, just ignore that last sentence.)
In keeping with my reticence, I find myself doing a lot of reading these days. I am still studying for my Amateur Extra ham radio license, and am riveted by The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I bought some of Dr. Richard Alan Miller's books: The Modern Alchemist, ESP Induction Through Forms of Self-Hypnosis, Power Tools for the 21st Century and the accompanying Workbook. I bought a fascinating new cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G. Brackett called The Heal Your Gut Cookbook: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet. And for Christmas I bought from Chelsea Green Publishers (they had a great sale) The Organic Seed Grower, The Sugarmaker's Companion, and Integrated Forest Gardening.
The tasks on my To-Do list are starting to scream at me. But I have to say I would much rather look up from reading a book to watch the finches, pine siskins, chickadees, and woodpeckers on my bird feeders than work in my basement.
I hope all of you made precious memories over the holiday season. Believe it or not, you are all part of mine! Keep safe, and Be Well!
