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Out of the earth comes life
Christmas is coming and mine is going to be very simple. I did take it upon myself to grow two Amaryllises. I hope they will have full double red blossoms. They arrived from White Flower Farm in beautiful linen bags. The potting instructions say: “Place a well-drained potting mix in a tub. Slowly add warm water and stir with your hand until the mix is moist and not soggy.” That line made me think. Soggy would make the mix set up like cement, but moist would make the potting soil a muck where life can grow. When will there be growth? Patience is necessary. It will need more time in…
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No Expectations
This year I am approaching Advent and Christmas with “no expectations.” I am grateful to be here, to have enough food and a warm place to live. My mother always loved Christmas. We would gather at Thanksgiving–eat a wonderful meal prepared by her and then take walks around the pond and land. The next day my younger sister and I would drive the grandchildren to Pittsburgh. First stop was the Andy Warhol Museum. Kids love Andy Warhol–brightly colored paintings, lithographs and Mylar balloons to bat around. Next we visited the Christmas fair on Forbes Avenue. In my spending days “full of expectations,” I bought many ornaments and they remain some…
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Christmas: A Celebration of Giving
Christmas: A Celebration of Giving I used to think giving was something we did out of duty, but I believe, for me now, it comes from love for God and a wish to respond to the needs of the world. It also comes from a wish to express loving kindness, goodness, and gratitude for all that has been given to me. I was fortunate to be raised in a family that embraced generosity. My parents gave faithfully to their church and they were also generous to others in need. My mother visited friends who were sick and wrote hundreds of cards and letters to her family, neighbors, and home-bound friends. Their giving was not out of…
