The holiday season is about to whirl into full-on frenzy with the arrival of Turkey Day. Most folks see this as the advent of stress, bickering, too much food and too much football. But I see it as a wonderful time of Tradition sharing - from favorite recipes for that special feast, to secretly hoarded cookie recipes, even nostalgic trips that occur only at this time of the year, and just because they've just always been done. I've been enjoying the traditions shared by readers on CNN.com today, and it made me think of my own family traditions...
Like the walk through the woods on Thanksgiving Day - for me, growing up in New York, this actually started as a walk through the urban woods of our neighborhood, smelling the crispness of the air, and watching the chickadees and cardinals fight for the best spot on the telephone lines, next to a forgotten pair of sneakers wrapped by their laces around the wire.
It's evolved over the years, as we've moved from state to state and changed from urban areas to country areas. Now we have our own 43 acres to walk through, with our puppy by our side - we get to continue the tradition in our own fashion, and enjoy the wild turkeys, armadillos, hawks and squirrels as we wander through the forests of Pyrth Annwn.
We're starting a new tradition this year - having a feast with friends on our land the Saturday after Turkey Day. A way to kick back and enjoy good food and good company with people we only get to see a few times a year. This is one tradition I truly hope will linger on. What traditions are you celebrating or starting this year?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Keeping perspective
Ever had one of those days when Life decided to clear a few things up for you?
Soft of like when the old Cosmic 2x4 smacks you upside the head and makes you look at the BIG picture, and you immediately stop sweating the small stuff?
It's too easy to get completely wrapped up in the day to day drama, and forget to focus on what really matters - family, friendship, hearth & home. I've found myself slicing through the cellophane wrap of drama recently with my teeth in order to regain that feeling of centeredness and balance, and it's my family and friends who have helped me get there - and I bet they don't even know it.
Isn't that amazing? How a friendly voice on the end of the phone, or a quick hug and smile as you walk through the door, or an e-mail that reminds you how important you are to someone - all these little things have such a big impact on your heart, and your soul. They just make the crazy tornadic stuff dissipate like a puff of smoke.
An e-mail from my sister highlighting the lasting happenings at her center in Colorado brought a huge smile to my face - she's making her dreams a reality, living the path she always strived for. E-mails and phone calls from my students, asking for advice and trusting me with difficult issues reminds me that I have a responsibility of the heart that outweighs any mundane brickabrack that might be impinging from the work world.
How about you? Anything happen in your world lately to bring your perspective into focus?
Soft of like when the old Cosmic 2x4 smacks you upside the head and makes you look at the BIG picture, and you immediately stop sweating the small stuff?
It's too easy to get completely wrapped up in the day to day drama, and forget to focus on what really matters - family, friendship, hearth & home. I've found myself slicing through the cellophane wrap of drama recently with my teeth in order to regain that feeling of centeredness and balance, and it's my family and friends who have helped me get there - and I bet they don't even know it.
Isn't that amazing? How a friendly voice on the end of the phone, or a quick hug and smile as you walk through the door, or an e-mail that reminds you how important you are to someone - all these little things have such a big impact on your heart, and your soul. They just make the crazy tornadic stuff dissipate like a puff of smoke.
An e-mail from my sister highlighting the lasting happenings at her center in Colorado brought a huge smile to my face - she's making her dreams a reality, living the path she always strived for. E-mails and phone calls from my students, asking for advice and trusting me with difficult issues reminds me that I have a responsibility of the heart that outweighs any mundane brickabrack that might be impinging from the work world.
How about you? Anything happen in your world lately to bring your perspective into focus?
Friday, November 2, 2007
Dia de Los Muertos
Ah...dia de los muertos - the day of the dead. All hail La Calaca as he sashays through the streets, arm in arm with Santa Muerte and Baron Samedi. On this day, we celebrate the great unknown, the crossing over from life to death, and the rebirth to life again.
Families gather at the graves of loved ones, and share feasts and stories. Children eat sugar skulls and dancers sway to the drumbeats of painted drummers. The guardian spirits of the departed are honored with their favorite foods and libations - homes are decorated and altars are lit with pictures and candles and offerings.
And yet, Dia de Los Muertos is actually three days of celebrations, beginning on the 31st of October and ending today, on the 2nd of November. Those who join the lines of revelers clutch marigolds to their chests, symbols of those whom they remember.
The dead are regarded as protectors of the living, and so their counsel is sought in all family matters. These dead demand good behavior of the living, and they have within their power the ability to reward or punish. So death itself is merely one phase in the life-cycle, a transcendent mutation.
At the cemetery, the people quietly disperse among the cluttered tombstones. Bright garlands of marigolds ornament the graves. A trail of their golden petals leads back on the path to the local village. It is strewn as a beacon, a pathway, especially for the souls of los ninos, the children, the littlest angels.
An ancient race that dwelt in Mexico once wrote, "We only come to dream. we only come to sleep; It is not true that we come to live on Earth." Dia de los Muertos translates that prophecy into a mortal manifestation. And, although we all ultimately travel this adventure of life alone, there are times when you may hear La Calaca, the skeleton of death, laughing quietly behind your back.
Families gather at the graves of loved ones, and share feasts and stories. Children eat sugar skulls and dancers sway to the drumbeats of painted drummers. The guardian spirits of the departed are honored with their favorite foods and libations - homes are decorated and altars are lit with pictures and candles and offerings.
And yet, Dia de Los Muertos is actually three days of celebrations, beginning on the 31st of October and ending today, on the 2nd of November. Those who join the lines of revelers clutch marigolds to their chests, symbols of those whom they remember.
The dead are regarded as protectors of the living, and so their counsel is sought in all family matters. These dead demand good behavior of the living, and they have within their power the ability to reward or punish. So death itself is merely one phase in the life-cycle, a transcendent mutation.
At the cemetery, the people quietly disperse among the cluttered tombstones. Bright garlands of marigolds ornament the graves. A trail of their golden petals leads back on the path to the local village. It is strewn as a beacon, a pathway, especially for the souls of los ninos, the children, the littlest angels.
An ancient race that dwelt in Mexico once wrote, "We only come to dream. we only come to sleep; It is not true that we come to live on Earth." Dia de los Muertos translates that prophecy into a mortal manifestation. And, although we all ultimately travel this adventure of life alone, there are times when you may hear La Calaca, the skeleton of death, laughing quietly behind your back.
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