Pieces of Christmas...

"Have you ever noticed what a place of honour beauty holds in our memories - how it can generate a glowing inner happiness? I have a conviction that the experiences of beauty cultivated during our life are harvested eventually in old age as a rich and gladdening content to our memories."

~ Christine Fynes-Clinton "All Year Round ~ A Calender of Celebrations"



Maybe my favourite picture... it just captures the colour and wonder and joy...

Something about taking a long break away from routine opens the eyes, illuminates the perspective...makes you wonder why the pushing, pulling, wrangling through.

Why more?

A few simple things, food, family, music, people who care and the meaning that weaves it's golden thread through all it all turning it all into truth and lessons of love.

This is all that is needful.



The kindness of friends and family has "once again" filled our children's Christmas with the wonder of what it is to both give and receive...

And this year was the first year we could really "treat" the children with one or two gifts that I hope will give lasting a deep joy without harming the gift that is our mother earth and may be passed down from one hand to another in time to come.







Florence bringing her quiet aura to calm the waters just when necessary.



Creating the days after....



The wonder and the sacredness infused in small gestures, prayers, moments, candles lit.

Like the poet Robert Bly said a child's soul already knows all this stuff.

These soulful truths are nestled like a babe in the manger of the heart.

Only waiting to be stirred and gentle woken.

Birthed into the world.





Our first Ostheimer figurines.
One for each girl.

..And the star girl for Boo our winter baby born on the feast of Stephen 8 years ago.



My sensitive, quiet yet playful, funny, fiercely intelligent, loving, loyal, dark eyed baby bear cub Boo!



We call you Bujana Baa Lamb so Emmy made you this little lamb which you have carried everywhere with you ever since you unwrapped it!

And there it is, memories, in fragments of colour, swirled together.

White silks taking the watermarks and impressions of the days...

"When a soul sets up to find God, it does not know whether it will come, or by what path it will be led. But those who catch the vision are ready to follow the Lamb where ever He goes. And it is as they follow, obedient to what they have seen, in the spirit of joyful adventure, that their path becomes clear before them, and they are given the power to fulfill their high calling. They are those who have the courage to break through conventionalities, who care not at all what the world thinks of them. Because they are entirely taken up with the tremendous realities with the soul and God."

~Amy Carmichael

following the star

twinkling



lingers the quiet corners



all those good baking smells
wandering about the house



sprinkling a little glitter



and spice



...along the way



Listening to pooh bear stories with our jumpers inside out... :)



opening new worlds in picture books...



and finding peek-a-boo babies in boxes under the tree.
What a perfect Christmas gift she is!



Snuggling up with "baby Jesus" :0)



quietly and slowly we begin to follow the star to Bethlehem.

Winter post

Winter's sun, thin residues

unspun

undress the trees

with transparency.



bestowing grace



in the most unlikely place.



Drawing life



from stark boughs



bringing wonder



weightlessness



and peace



wrapped within it's silent embrace.



Child do you see
the breath that flows within and beneath?



Your blue skies awake my tired eyes

till I begin to find too...

through the thin skin of winter

a broken, gentle,

holy

silence.

Making and Creating...A quiet advent and a homemade Christmas!!!

Lantern making for those cosy winter evenings.

Fina looks for the little window on the advent calendar



Books pile happily beside chairs and beds.

Practising.

Dress up.

Beauty.

...in response...

I just had to write a post in response to comments on this post about the poor standard of living conditions the council are providing for a disabled woman and her 5 children.

I'm really tired of people who judge others for the number of children they have.

Those within a lower socio-economic income bracket often receive the worst prejudice of all.

It seems that there are quite a number of people who feel that if you don't fit a certain criteria, or earn a certain salary, you should not be allowed the privilege of having children.

Even though they work hard, many people do not and will not ever rise above a certain economic level, does that mean they should forfeit the greatest human right of all, the right to have a family? Should such a thing be sanctioned by an independent body, the government or worse still societal pressures and prejudices?

In the current climate many families' salaries are topped up with tax credits or medical exemptions even though they are doing everything possible to support themselves independently of the state.

Truthfully, many of the people at the lower end work harder, in more undesirable conditions, for less than those in the middle or top of the pile.
Does it mean they should be penalised?
I hope not.

I sincerely pray this lady and her family get the help they need...and deserve.

I also hope that compassion will overcome judgement in many hearts.

Mother Teresa once said...
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

And what really makes the world a better place love or judgment?

{This Moment}

{this moment}, a Friday ritual.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

Joining Soulemama