All Things Nice . . .

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If I should die these are the kind of things

That I have loved and been so thankful for,

The sheen of sun upon a distant hill,

A keening wind along a lonely shore.

I have been glad for music softly played,

For violins and white piano keys,

For muted tones and phrases crystal clear,

Love songs and lullabies and symphonies.

I have loved evenings when the after glow

Cast a warm spell on everything in sight,

When there was music in the very wind,

And magic in the darkness of the night.

I have loved little streets where people dwell,

And tiny yards where humble flowers grow,

The lonely splendor of an Arctic moon,

The swish of Northern lights above the snow.

The smoky trail of planes across the sky,

A search light picking out an in-bound ship,

Red budded maples in a blue ravine,

A song of love upon a young girl's lip.

I have loved peace and quietness . . . the vast

Unbroken silence of a prairie night,

And when my heart is dust I shall remember

A tree with every blossom tipped with light.

~Edna Jacques, I Have Loved

The Hills of Home, 1952

 

Oh, how I loved reading Edna's poem this morning. This is how I feel about life and all of the small things which make up our lives and fill them with such peace and beauty. The only things I would add are the love of family and friends, faith, home . . .  beloved pets. These things I have loved and love with such a ferocity that my heart swells with joy just to think of them. I have been richly blessed.

 

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Despite the blowing snow I had a lovely lunch and visit with my friend Jacqueline yesterday. We went to the restaurant just around the corner from where I live.  We each had a turkey dinner. Not quite as good as the one you get at the Farmer's Diner, but very good, nonetheless.  Turkey, potatoes, carrots, stuffing, gravy. A roll that hadn't been nuked beyond redemption and a small pot of coleslaw. We were both too full after eating to have any kind of dessert. I did have molasses cake back at my house and she was going to come in for a visit and some of that, but the weather was deteriorating at that point, and she felt it prudent that she return home.  But we did have a lovely visit together over lunch.

The restaurant was not overly busy which was nice. The waitress very pleasant. The company and conversation was the best.  Lunch with a friend. Pretty hard to beat.

 

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There is to be a bit of a lull in the snow today, until about 9pm tonight at least.  An opportunity for us to get out and about and pick up what we need. They are forecasting snow then for the next three days. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Then oddly enough by next Friday the temperatures are supposed to be in the double digits before dropping again.  Winter has come early it seems, but is playing with us by swinging back and forth a bit before it really settles in. I have read that it is predicted to be a very snowy winter all across Canada this year. We will see. We do need the precipitation, and snow is a bit prettier to look at than rain, but alas much more difficult to drive in.

 

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I've been doing an Advent Study on Hallow these past couple of weeks which is very much focusing on the silence and solitude of God's heart. It's such a beautiful thing to focus on during these last weeks before Christmas when people have a tendency to be super busy and overworked. In seasons of busyness, we need more time in the quiet place, not less.

When you think about it Jesus often took time for himself and went to His quiet places to sit in silence, prayer and contemplation. Jesus needed time in his quiet place. How much more do we need time in quiet places.

Saint Augustine said that entering silence is "entering into joy."

A balm for emotional healing.

When you think about it, how relaxing is it to just take yourself off to a small corner of your home and sit in quiet contemplation with a drink in hand, perhaps looking out at the Wintery landscape with nothing to accompany you but your thoughts. No television blaring in the background. No prattle from the other members of your household to break the silence. Just you, your thoughts and a time of quiet solitude.  What a gift for the soul during this season of hectic busyness.  A time to feed, water and nourish the soul with peace and tranquility.

I know this is much easier for me to do as I live alone.

 

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Yesterday after getting home and back into the house I decided to myself, this is going to be a pajama kind of a day.  And so I went and put on my pajamas and that is how I spent the rest of the day. I do not know what it is about pajamas that makes them so much more comfortable to wear than regular clothing. Perhaps it is not the pajamas themselves, but the state of mind that they bring with them when you don them. I knew that nobody would be coming over and I had no place to go and so I just sat in my pajamas, with a blanket over my lap, cats by my side and I watched the wind sweeping the snow from one yard to another and back again, dancing it off the roof and down and then up again. Oh, but it was some blustery out. I felt quite safe and warm here, indoors, with my pajamas, blanket and cats.

I watched some of my favorite YouTube Channels, many of which are run by young mothers, some with an abundance of children . . . and I wondered at how they manage to do it all and do it so well. I do not think I could have managed to keep a YouTube channel afloat when I was a young mom. I did not know if I was coming or going most days. and most of them homeschool as well. I marvel at their skills in doing so. They make it look so easy. I know the reality of it is probably quite different than what we are seeing. But still . . . they are pretty amazing. They must have different husbands. Husbands who are much more hands-on than what I had back when. 

It is a much different era now.

 

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I still have no tree up, although I did open my closet door and look at it yesterday.  Then I closed the door and thought no.  Not feeling it.  I think I will get my mother's nativity set out and put that up however.  Maybe a wreath on the door. And that's okay. My home doesn't have to be loaded with glitz and bling for the holidays. It really doesn't.

Do you know I was ready for bed last night by 8:30?  I made myself sit here and wait until 9, but as soon as the hands of the clock hit the 9 o'clock I was racing to my bed. I didn't even spend the length of time in prayer as I usually do. I was so ready for sleep. I think I had spent the half hour between 8:30 and 9:00 nodding off and waking myself up anyways. Once I hit the bed I did not get up again until about 2 a.m to use the loo and then I was back asleep and did not get up until gone 6:30.

Yes, I was that tired.

I will leave you now with a thought for the day as I got started so much later this morning and if I want to get out shopping with my sister as is the plan for today I need to get my skates on!

A thought to carry with you   . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*"The darkness of the whole world
cannot swallow the glowing of a candle.
~Robert Altinger  • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today   . . .  Old Fashioned Molasses Cake.  Sweet comfort. A beautiful dessert cake or teatime cake, depending on how you choose to serve it.  Delicious and moist.

I wish for you a beautiful weekend, filled with lots of things and people who bring you joy.  Things you love.  Stay safe and don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!