Dear Ones,
We enjoyed an unexpected and exquisitely gorgeous White Christmas here in Seattle. Consequently many of our plans changed and the resulting spontaneity has been marvelous.
For one thing, I had hoped to circulate my holiday greetings before Christmas Day. Actually lots of cards were attached to little gifts including, for a lucky few of you, raw Holy Honey (aka Cathedral Gold) thanks to apiarist Rob Reid. Other notes found their way to the mail slots of co-workers or the front stoops of neighbors. Then the cards started to get scarce so when the white stuff hit, any deadlines fell to the wayside. I realized I’ve been receiving more electronic messages this season anyway and it was time to follow suit. As much as I love receiving hard-copy paper mail, it was time to conserve.
And who cares if it’s after the 25th anyway? In the Episcopal version of the Christian tradition we recognize twelve days of the season and nothing’s over until the Wise Guys come.
Meaning that this message is not late after all.
Good News indeed! And don’t get nervous on me. No worries about politicizing or more religiosity—that which 2017 is so famous for—in this summary. After all, one of the best quotes I found during the year is James Finley’s:
“When we seek what is truest in our own tradition, we discover we are one with those who seek what is truest in their tradition.”
More and more this business about being connected or even One is becoming clear to me. So:
Photos in Prague, Fall 2017
Originally I thought simply sending these two photos would suffice to share enough of what we’ve been up to in 2017. Together they show we are having fun while we grow old together. I added the caption because I thought these four words and one number could tell you that I am semi-retired (yeehigh!) because I can now travel in the off-season. I wouldn’t need to include any further written explanation. Rob thought the words were a bit showy especially on their own. Ok, ok, maybe a few more words about the year are warranted.
The best way to know what I’m up to in general is to keep visiting my blog. I post once or twice a month. And if you dig around here, you’ll find stories about the others too. For example, “Bouquet with Harvoni” is primarily about Rob; “Meditating in Public” references Clarke; and “Black Cats” is about Carolina and her kitties.
Which reminds me, after lots of traveling both of our kids live in Seattle now AND are gainfully employed: Clarke’s in education and Carolina’s in service (one word descriptions – how’s that for showy?) We are delighted they are both creative—Clarke in music especially and Carolina in everything else especially food. You can see what they have to say for themselves instead of taking my word for it; just click on their names.
Mom, who will be 90 on St. Patrick’s Day, is well and lives nearby too. She published a book—Haiku Memories by Bernie Clarke—in 2017. It’s available on Amazon.
All this means that sometimes I have to pinch myself, wondering if this much Goodness could be real for me. I told a friend today that I feel favored…it just seemed like the right word to use in the moment instead of the other usual ones like grateful and blessed and cared for. I hope this is your experience sometimes as well.
In fact, I am sitting right here, right now, imagining that you too will have these pinching-yourself times—times of noticing–more and more frequently in 2018 and beyond.
Con mucho amor,
Penny
Always Bridging 