Month: December 2012

More things I love lately

Gratitude on an ordinary night – Allison Slater Tate’s gorgeous love letter to her 10 1/2 year old son, saturated with her awareness of all that is already over, spoke to the core of my bruised, overflowing mother’s heart.  Yes, I wish I’d known Allison when we were going through pregnancy together (we went to college together, but did not connect until years later), but I’m even more grateful that I know her now, as we careen into these years of mothering tweens together.

Homeland – You know I don’t want TV.  I made an exception for Homeland, and wow am I glad I did.  I bought the first season on DVD and Matt and I watched it in 3 days.  We then upgraded our cable (don’t watch TV = basic cable package) so that we have Showtime and can watch the second season.  I am obsessed.  This is brilliant, compulsively-watchable drama, full of both geo-political intrigue and profoundly human characters.  I can’t recommend it enough.

Tiny Home – I love this ode from Kate Conner to her small house.  We too live in a small house, and I relate to so many of the things Kate says.  My house keeps me honest and it keeps me neat.  It overflows with memories; it is the only house my husband and I have ever lived in, and while we sometimes wish we had more space or a bigger yard, it really is all that we need, and I like the lesson that provides for our children as well.

Somewhere Else – I am a huge Stacy Morrison fan, and this is one of my favorite posts of her always-thoughtful, always-beautiful writing.  There is so much I love about her writing: her deep desire to see meaning in the universe, the way she can’t help witnessing and noticing beauty even in moments of dark despair, her love of Rilke and words, and her support of women making their way in the world.  In another post she wrote this sentence, which brought me to my knees with its glorious truth: “It’s the humble moments that possess the majesty.”

Glimmering Moments of Beauty – This gorgeous piece by Jana of An Attitude Adjustment was profoundly resonant for me.  I love hearing that others are also routinely stopped in their tracks by the startling beauty of this world, and always appreciate the reminder to stay open to them.

Holiday cards

I love holiday cards.  I always have.  My parents sent a picture of Hilary and me every year, religiously, so I grew up with the tradition.  The photographs from each year of our childhood are all displayed, framed in my parents’ kitchen now.  I start thinking about my annual card in the summer and feel rising excitement as we get closer and closer to the season when the mailbox is stuffed with pictures and updates from around the world.

I suspect that part of why I love the tradition of sending cards is how disparate my friends are; people I love are scattered around the world, from my childhood in Europe to my sleepover camp days to my college friends who are not nearby.  I spend hours choosing the photograph(s) for our card, but I’m equally as interested in the words that accompany the images.  The other day I pulled out the box I keep copies of each year’s card (and birth announcement, christening and birthday party invitation, and Valentine card, and so on).  It was wonderful to leaf through them, to remember where I – and we – were each year, to trace Grace and Whit’s astonishing growth.

2002 – With a photograph of an infant Grace, Matt, and myself, I included James Baldwin’s lines: “Trust life, and it will teach you, in joy and sorrow, all you need to know.”

2003 and 2004 – I just used a single picture of Grace, and a simple card that said “Peace and Joy”

2005 – I began working with an outstanding designer, of Beaumont Design.  The cards from now on always had several pictures.  This year it said “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

2006 – “Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time”

2007 – “Dona Nobis Pacem” (inside, the translation: grant us peace)

2008 – “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” (the only phrase I’ve ever repeated, and that’s mostly because I believe it so fiercely)

2009 – “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.”

2010 – “May the wind be always at your back.” (from one of my favorite prayers, which begins “may the road rise to meet you“)

2011 – “Happy Everything”

2012 – Another of my most beloved quotes.  Many of you will receive it soon.

Do you send holiday cards?  Do you like the tradition?