Winter Solstice, Dear Ones....

"The seasonal rhythms correlate with our bodily rhythms...
Our dream life and inner life grow
more insistent in the winter darkness...
the old year is put to bed, one's business is finished, and
the harvest of spiritual maturity is reaped as wisdom and forgiveness."
-----Joan Borysenko

I learned a new word today--"mudita"--divine abiding of joy, a profound depth of appreciative joy that goes in all direction, inwardly and outwardly...oozing actually.
It is a Buddhist word, don't know the language--could be Thai even. I am savoring tidbits of a book on the life of Maha Ghosananda whose motto was "Peace is Possible".
And so it is.

The monks spend years and months in meditative practice, sometimes sitting, standing, walking, squatting, moving their hands and arms with directional focus, whatever ways they are called to this or ascent to in the rigors of their chosen monastic life. And this monk, Maha Gosananda, oozed this appreciative joy and meditated in whatever ways he wanted. He also put little word-pictures on his walls. (sound familiar?). My point is this. I get the oozing appreciative joy thing. I get the choice thing. I get the peace is possible thing. I get IT. For the moment. For this most sacred of days and nights when we honor the darkness and harken to our inner Light.

Been playing in the snow with my silly boy-dog! We've been walking and exploring our neighborhood which is buried under snow blankets. Had my first telephone lesson EN FRANCAIS! That was exciting and something I have wanted to do for some time. I want to be able to understand French on the radio and in the movies. This will help.

The Yuletide concerts are finished. I didn't make it to Mt. Vernon. The weather just didn't speak to me of safety and welcome. I don't regret being the missing performer AND I do miss all that the ending concert of the season brings, esp. this one, since it was the last one in that venerable old theater in Mt. Vernon and the last one with my sisters and me dancing. I have an odd feeling though that we are not through exactly. I am wishing peace and rest to all who gave so creatively to the audiences and to the world. It was particularly delightful this year and challenging in other ways. Not for me(the challenging part). There is much history and tradition (some baggage but it is not mine to carry any longer) that come with these Yuletide celebrations. Sparkle moments of grace illuminate my remembrance----the jokes about how everyone is related, Haydn banging on the glockenspiel and breaking the end off each time, the crowds clamoring for CDs, the smiles from Julie and Brigie and Sara during the slip jip and the light jig, the hair straightener and the straightened hair, Colleen's songs and how the audience just hushed and held breath after each one for just that one soft moment before clapping, all the good books in the church libraries that I dove into, tom Creegan's uillean pipes on the Blue Irishman and the slip jigs and All Through the Night...Mom and Dad at each one. Sara going right on with directions and parenting and show support while nursing, Julia and the other Tara dancers being funny and teenaged and professional for the shows. All good. Being included. Being invited. Being a part of this Gift. Yes. Light. Peace. Joy. And Baggage. Me and my muditaare going to have a shower now and head off to downtown Ballard to try to get some Christmas shopping done. And after that, I may bake something. I will definitely light the Christmas tree ( I put one up this year----it's been a few years) and enjoy some kind of warm cup of Solstice cheer.