"People sometimes think that Christmas came suddenly,
one holy night
I know better.
Other things came first--amazing things, beautiful things, important things...
When a message goes from heaven to earth,
it's not a letter.
It's an angel.
And the angel doesn't just carry the message.
The angel is the message.....
Here where we live. there's really no time at all.
It's just Now---the day in Heaven.
And right now in the day in Heaven,
it is still that first Christmas night....
The star is still shining. The message still
is."-----Bright Christmas by Andrew Clements

Porter is finally resting next to me as I write. He went to the vet to be "tutored" yesterday. He has had a difficult time coming out of the drugs. I can relate. It's a wonder (not!)that I connect so with shelties. Round, strong, willful, thinking, vocal, persistent, gourmand-esque (we like food, often, and a lot of it just the way we like it), single-focused when it comes to something that needs to be herded (or taught), love the outdoors, hairy, look best when we are moving (out of doors), smile a lot when we are happy and everyone knows it when we are not, playful, stubborn, and really into naps. It's going to take the rest of Christmas break to get him back on track. I am thankful for that. Time and the space to hang for healing. (I guess he doesn't hang anymore, though)I keep getting boy dogs with "ones"--this pup had only one testicle that the vet could find. Cedar-one kidney. I'll take the one relationship we grow into in our walks, talks, adventures, lessons, and loving.

This Christmas continues to remind me of the Promise.
This Christmas continues to bring Connection. Life. Love. Lessons of Grace that are enough. And given with the Greatest Love of All.

I just love Christmas oldies, classics, heritage music. Thanks goodness for pandora.
My dog doesn't seem to mind that I sing all the time when I am working around here. I am enjoying this alone time.

I emptied 4 more boxes of books and papers yesterday. Got it down to keeping less than one book shelf's worth. What I enjoyed most was pulling out all of my Y2K stuff. Going through it this winter to figure out how to get this home more self-sustaining and into the earth's rhythm. Little Feather made borscht with beets and parsnips when I was down at the North River for a time after Christmas Day. She is already going through seed catalogs. She also made a layered veggie dinner dish with parsnips, onions, carrots, potatoes, and a light curry/balsamic vinegar juice on it at the last. Served it on a bed of spinach. I ate every bite and loved it. Me! The "I don't like vegetables" girl. Some things are changing. Now I just need to learn to make this sort of stuff for myself. I made veggie soup yesterday and have been enjoying that. Mom and Dad gave me the slow cooker I wanted. I am excited to start exploring with that.

I am also thankful that I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Neither do I make them. That way there is no pressure. No failure. No imposed, fake time parameters. Change for me happens in different ways. Not always easy. 2x4 moments are still more the norm than not over here. But what is working and what isn't will be gone through accordingly and kept, composted, recycled, or relinquished. With a whole lot of singing and looking at a particular star.