A Fresh Start

You may have a fresh start at any moment you choose, for this thing that we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down. - Mary Pickford

Late last January, I made this blog entry: "Aunt Sandi Says is off to a slow start for 2012. But . . . I am resolved to renew my blogging."

The first 8 months of the year I managed 17 blog entries. Not too spectacular. I gained some momentum in September and - 41 entries later -  I have a total of 58 for the year. (image from www.123rf.com)

The beginning is always today. - Mary Shelley

I have to admit a feel a little bit proud of myself.  Not because I wrote over 50 entries (some people write 365!).  Not because the entries I did write were all that significant or profound.  Because I kept at it - even when I felt like a failure for not writing in my blog for weeks at a time.

Be willing to be a beginner every single morning. - Meister Eckhart

What really helped me get going again was picking a day for a fresh start. I selected the first day of Autumn, and set a goal to make some sort of blog entry every day until my birthday on October 8. Once I succeeded in achieving that goal, my blog entries were more frequent for the remainder of the year. (image from http://livingwithra-nan.blogspot.com)

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? - L. M. Montgomery

With the end of 2012 only hours away, many people are thinking about a fresh start in 2013.  But, January 1 is only one of over 300 days that have the potential to be a fresh start for me - or for you.  The first day of Autumn worked well for me.  The first day of Spring may work well for someone else.  A birthday or holiday might be good - or the day after a birthday or holiday.  Any day is a good day for a fresh start, and each of us can have up to 365 every year. (image from www.123rf.com)

I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible. - Oprah Winfrey 

Where in my life would I like to make a fresh start today? Hmmmm.   Renewing my job search? Keeping in touch with friends and family?  Having a neater and better organized home? If I sit quietly for a few minutes, and if I'm honest with myself, I know I will come up with an  achievable goal just like I did the first day of Autumn. And, this is not a one-time, one-goal deal!  Who knows where I'll go next? (image from http://livingwithra-nan.blogspot.com)

Where would a fresh start take you?

(Thank you to www.goodreads.com for these great quotes!)

On Living

We are always getting ready to live but never living.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson is one of my favorites, and today this quote caught my eye.  It often seems like I'm waiting - waiting for the house to sell, waiting for the job offer, waiting for my health to improve, whatever.  But, while I'm waiting, am I living?

www.lifehacker.com asks a similar question about practice vs. action.  Is practice (getting ready) keeping me from acting (living)?

... We often prepare endlessly while never actively pursuing what it is that we want. Practice is certainly important, but - without applying it to real action - it is nearly pointless.

It's easy to get bogged down in a path of endless preparation. You want to be your best. You want to come out of the gate being great. You don't want anyone to see the imperfect process, filled with failures, that leads you to something great. 

While you don't want to move forward until you're ready, often times you're ready before you know it. And, there's a value in failing - it's one of the best ways to learn. So, if you've been privately practicing for awhile now, consider moving forward. You may not feel ready yet, but better to give it a shot than wait forever.

Louis Pasteur

The role of the infinitely small in nature is infinitely great. - Louis Pasteur

Feeling a little sorry for myself for having to spend Christmas week at home with the flu, I happened to notice that today is the birthday of Louis Pasteur.  A French chemist and microbiologist, he was one of the founders of medical microbiology.

Pasteur is remembered for his work in the causes and preventions of diseases.  His germ theory of disease led to the creation of vaccines for rabies and anthrax.  The general public knows him best for inventing a method to treat milk and wine in order to prevent it from causing sickness - pasteurization.

Too bad he didn't live long enough to do some work on colds and flu.

Boxing Day

The second day of Christmas is also called Boxing Day in some countries. It is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on December 26, which is also St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday.

According to Wikipedia, the exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear. The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages. It may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen. 

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service. Another English tradition was to allow the servants of the wealthy to visit their families on the day after Christmas, since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

The First Day of Christmas

According to www.traditioninaction.org/religious/h003rp.ChristmasCarolAlexis.html :

We are all familiar with the carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

We have all smiled indulgently at the extravagance of the lover who showered upon his beloved so many fantastic and inconvenient gifts. Every day of the Christmas season she received a new token of his love, each more fabulous than the last and increasingly numerous, until she was the proud possessor of twenty-three birds, some valuable jewelry, a varied assortment of musicians and entertainers, and eight milkmaids.

But it is more than a rhapsody of strange and delightful nonsense. It is a song of Catholic instruction. Dating back to the 16th or 17th century, it was created as a memory aid to help children learn their Faith. The “true love” is no earthly suitor, but God Himself, Who gives His wondrous gifts to “me,” every baptized person.

Check out the above link to find the significance of all the elements of this song, from partridge to drummers, according to Alexis Reyes.

And, Merry Christmas to all!

A Gaelic Blessing

Deep peace of the running wave to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

Deep peace of Christ,

of Christ the light of the world to you.

Deep peace of Christ to you.

What Brightens Us

My sister and I visited St. Mark Presbyterian Church this morning here in Portland. They were having a special carol service with lots congregational singing and three beautiful anthems by the choir. At the beginning of the service, the pastor acknowledged the sad events of the past week and then asked what brightens our holiday time even in the midst of darkness.  Several people spoke up about their families, their health, and so on.  This afternoon I started thinking...

What brightens my holiday time? 

• The level of care - and caring - that Mom is receiving at Lydia's House (Alzheimer's facility) in Mennonite Village, Albany, Oregon. 
• The fact that all members of our family have a home and some kind of work, and the hope that even more people will have these things by next Christmas. 
• The Winter Solstice coming on the 21st which means the days will start getting longer again. 

I plan to keep adding to this list as Christmas approaches even in the darkness of our recent tragedies.  Will you join me?

Sad Days

Edna Magnuson

The memorial service for Edna Lucille Magnuson yesterday was lovely.  One of the many highlights was the display of some of Edna's artwork, including this collage she created after 9-11.

Edna was an award-winning artist and used her creativity in a variety of crafts.  She helped found the Art Rains Art Gallery in Astoria, Oregon, and was a member of the Trails End Art Guild in Gearhart, Oregon.

(Click on the photo at right to see a larger view.)

December 1

Sunny skies, wet leaves, gorgeous colors.