In Window Limbo

Hello friends,

I'd hoped by the time I wrote here again; that we'd be finished at

least for the Winter on our house.  But things have been at a stand still.

The window we ordered is still not in, and the carpenter won't finish the nook until

they can do it all in one day.  They did fix the roof however with some new shingles to tide

us over til Spring.  

It's become  tradition to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving here  but ...

I can't until this other part is done or it will all be in the way. I'm kind of chomping at the bit.  

So I did bring  out 

this nativity.  It's one of my favorite things.   

 I also ordered Blakelea a Fisher-Price Little People Nativity too.

She seems to love it.  It has batteries in the manger and when you push on the 

top where the angel sits it lights up and plays a song...- I think it's Away in a Manger.  

I had it all set up on a little table for her when she got here and she 

kept carrying  baby Jesus and would kiss him.  

It was soooo cute. (That smack still gets me.)  

 Other than that I've only put out some poinsettias 

and a jar of candycanes.  It's pretty sparse around here. 

 Meanwhile I've started gathering black frames and printing 

black and white photos to hang on the bare walls.  

Addie supervises and matches pretty well too.  

 Even my favorite wool blanket from across the Pond is waiting

for the reading nook to get done.    (Thankyou again  Jeanie!!)

If you were here I would fill that thermos up with hot chocolate for you.

:)

 I really can't believe we're almost to the last month of the year.  

I kind of wanted to do something new for Advent this year but 

came back to this book I've went through and shared before.  

It was a challenge for me for some reason when I first went through it- 

but became ... very well loved.  

 This time around I started a new journal for it... and in the book I'll be highliting 

in green so I tell the difference what I wrote the first time around to.. now... and I think it's gonna be interesting.  

Well it already is because I've started already.  Much of it feels like I'm reading it for the first time.  

For the past two days ... in my notes I began to notice something.  

How my one little word chosen for the past four years has somehow connected 

year to year.  I don't think that must make sense to any of you.. but in 

2014 my word was heart

2015 perspective

2016 true 

2017 illuminate  

Living with those words for a year at a time.. was life changing.  

I didn't know when I started doing this  how meaningful it could all  become. 

Looking back here at the potting shed even a year before that I remembered I had three words 

I carried that year.  They were Light, Mercy, and Love.  

I want to reshare what I wrote that January day in 2013:

___________________________

The end of 2013 is drawing near.  

It seems; the week of Christmas came and went so quickly.  But then;

so did the whole year.

One year ago - right about now... .. I was choosing and deciding on my new words for 2013.

They were:

Light.

Mercy

and Love.    

Light became something I was drawn to and

discovered  the most beautiful things in it.  It became part of  a treasure hunt

almost when taking photos. Often I'd turn and there it'd be... streaming through

a hole in a leaf... or making sunflower and morning glory petals translucent, 

... shining all across the potters bench,...  warming the hood of a rusty olde tractor, a wooden hayfilled

manger, and even spotlighting a hen on a ladder.... - It lit up the harvest moon, and often came beaming down  right through the clouds 

 onto this little farm.  Being one of my words... I started seeing it differently.

  

Mercy ...and love - both are things that I think somehow  keep growing 

our hearts to become more like Christ.   Surely they keep growing us  right into forever. 

Mercy is something I realize I need on a daily basis... - and learning to give it too.

and Love... well... 

-God's love- .. so  amazing... bigger than anything comprehendable.

And somehow I've learned over the last almost 50 years that miraculously

our hearts have this gigantanormous capacity to keep growing more love.  Big big love!

Turning it into an action word can be the hard part.  I've been  challenged this year

especially with   

--last years anchor verse Luke 10:27

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

This scripture  became so special to me and is one I've struggled with.

_______________________________

Funny how things transpire isn't it?  

The words up above are just thoughts from one day.

Writing down the many sightings ... teachings... lessons..

Spiritual discoveries through these words has been an absolute gift to me.

And already I've been getting many glimpses of a new word for 2018.  

I'm pretty sure I already have it... but will keep it under wraps until the first

in case there is more to it that I don't know yet.   

Looking back through my journals for the past 11 months-

well; it's been quite a year.  

And I'm seeing quite a shift in my life since turning 50.  

Things that I want to start writing about and sharing.

Things that still feel uncomfortable but ... when we are real about ourselves

and share our journeys; sometimes there is someone else out there who is walking through the same things... and who ...needs to hear 

 .... they're not alone.

We all... go through things.

One of my friends not long ago... well we were actually talking about health problems

and aging.  But she said, "every one has some thing." 

I've thought of that a million times.  

Everyone has something. 

And it is so true.  

Sometimes the thing is embarrassing and you don't want another soul to ever find out. 

But often  the thing grows you in ways you'd never imagine.

And sometimes sharing it.. gives another courage or inspires someone. 

Same goes for sharing gifts and talents or just the daily grind of life.  

Don't ever think you don't have anything to offer.  

Or that you have no gifts or talents...

Because we all do.  We're created on purpose for purpose.   

Let's dig into that deeper soon.

Because I can tell you one thing.. I have been so blessed by so many people

who have shared their journeys with me.  I've learned so much from many of you.  

 

 I sign off with an altered book I felt inspired to create

for this ADVENT season.  I got it for 50 cents at the Mustard Seed thrift shop.  

and  pulled many pages out of it here and there and then glued others together.  

Honestly... it was not a great pick.  A lot of it tried to fall apart on me.  The binding

wasn't as strong as I thought.  But ... good old duct tape... buffalo check no less-

is my reinforcement.  Also tons of gesso on the pages.  I'm anxious to see what if anything

becomes of it.  It'll be a work in progress.  Somedays I may just watercolor...  or write scriptures or quotes

that stand out from this book I'm going through- WATCH for the Light.  

Maybe some days I'll journal my guts out and then cover it up with more gesso and plop some paint.  

We'll see. No rules. 

Alright it's after midnight.  

I'm plumb tuckered out.  

Thank God the pumpkin pie got thrown out... or I'd be wanting to get in it.  :)

SWEET dreams to all of you, 

Leaon Mary