Christmas is over, but winter is not…
Time now for gazing at tree branches set against a blue sky
For feeling the quiet chill creeping beneath layers of clothing
For seeing the stars and moon
For watching birds hop on branches normally hidden from view
Here’s to winter.
Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see?
A star a star
dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear?
A song a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know?
In your palace walls mighty king?
Do you know what I know?
A child A child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
A child A child
sleeping in the night
He will bring us Goodness and Light
He will bring us Goodness and Light
Piper Rose Jackson
Born December 19, 2011 at 3:33 am
9 lbs 5 oz and 21 in
“It’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry”
Noelle, almost 4 years
Crimson
Heart
Life
Love
I have been a little smitten with nesting things as of late. I have fallen in love with the little nesting Matryoska dolls from Russia all over again. I have a newfound affection for Noah and all his animal friends piling together into the safe and warm ark to ride out the storm eventually to find themselves in a new world.
It is this time of year, with the cold damp, yes. But it is also the little child about to be born that makes all things warm and cozy and together seem so much more meaningful.
We have sort of nested into our own home, venturing a few blocks here and there, but for the most part, staying very close to home. We have rediscovered the little secret niches of our neighborhood
I have always thought this is such a wonderful time of year to have a baby. I play music and sing songs about the wonder and goodness of a tiny baby whose birth changed the world. There is a reverence and joy that is palpable as neighbors smile and offer their holiday wishes. All my children are born by the light of a Christmas tree, cold winds outside, the warmth of family and Christmas inside.
My winter babies snuggled close to their mama, still wrapped in the dreamy mists from whence they came, as the quiet cold wraps us all in its stillness. Perfect.
“Autumn Comes
The summer is past
Winter will come too soon
The stars will be nearer
Skies are clearer
Under the harvest moon”
--Lullaby Sterling loves
Fall is here, at least almost. In this Indian Summer we are
having it seems the seasons can’t quite decide how to proceed.
But the leaves are changing, and there are some chilly days.
I love watching, celebrating, pondering, and living the seasonal cycle. There is something so comforting for me in it. Part of this, I believe, is the insight into my own life, my own cycles I am given when taking the time to observe the energy of each season.
To me summer’s energy is an expansive haze. Mother Nature takes the lead and we only need follow. There is so much life buzzing around it feels as if the only thing to do is sit back and enjoy it. The Earth herself provides all the entertainment and nourishment.
Then Fall comes. There is a quickening of energy. Animals scurry to prepare for the coming winter. Mother Nature provides her bounty for us to gather. After a season of absorbing and watching Nature create, my own creative energy awakens. It allows me to tackle home projects and new skills.
Then there comes the winter. Our Earth tells us she is going to rest, we must find our way on our own for a bit. And what creativity of spirit springs forth during this season. It is one of my favorites because the light of the human spirit shines so brightly. With the withdrawal of nature’s energy, the human energy bursts forth with song, celebration, and tradition. 
It is as I am moving as a parent into the winter of my pregnancy in which I often have to say to my own children “Mama is resting. You must find something to do on your own” and watching as they too shine forth with their own ideas and energy as Mama withdraws her own energies and simply watches
And waits.
Knowing Spring, the awakening again of energy and life, is just around the corner.
I have been organizing my pictures lately.
This is always such a heartwarming process for me. I find that often when I think back to my family’s beginnings I think about the things I did not know and did not do, not really with any blame or guilt, but just an acknowledgement that it was not easy at the beginning. Each beginning with each child had its unique challenges.
Noelle at 1 week
Sterling at 2 weeks
And then I look at the pictures. I see the way Noelle looked at me with such wonder and love in her eyes. And I realize she wasn’t really paying attention to all those inadequacies. She was content to have a mama who loved her.
I remember the overwhelming busy-ness of our lives with Sterling in his pre-crawling days. And then I look at all the pictures of his beautiful smile and realize he didn’t care. He was enraptured with it all.
The pictures in my life serve as a reminder to myself that I can choose to focus my attention, just as my children did, just as my camera does.
It is true that it is very easy to capture good pictures in beautiful scenery. But beauty can be captured anywhere. Move a little clutter here, clear some space there, open the window, take just the right angle….
Beauty appears.
Just as the photographer trains himself to see light and shadows, lines and angles, color and symmetry, I want to train my internal lens to focus on love, joy, tenderness, and playfulness.
Just as the photographer’s eye becomes skilled at seeing beauty, I want to train my spirit to See Grace.
And perhaps, one day, I won’t even need those pictures as reminder of how beautiful my life is
And always was.
