Winter Comes to Visit

Snow. The first real snow since I first moved to Georgia almost 13 yrs. ago. Not just a dusting but a 4 inch accumulation!! It was like an old friend had come to call.

We all bundled up and went out to revel in it. The grandkids built a snowman, we all hunkered down to a snowball fight and Daniel got out the camera to document it all. One of my favorite shots is my sacred oak, Aran. He is covered in a sparkling, pristine white. A glittering specter tree. The muffling of sound by the blanket of snow gives everything an ethereal quality. The space below, where sits an altar and a bench and four standing stones, becomes a new scene of quiet awe.

This snowfall brought so much joy. It was brief (melting away completely in 2 days) but it was pure joy. We adults all felt like kids again. What a wonderful gift, indeed.

Getting Stuck

Why is it that we tend to freeze people in time, particularly those we haven't seen in a long time? Only very few people are not changed by time and experience. Change is constant. Nothing remains the same. Even mountains and rocks are changed, weathered. So why is it we expect that someone we knew 10, 15, 20 years ago is the same? And, if they haven't changed, what did they hold so tightly in their hands as absolute?

Moving to a new place can be the most liberating experience. It gives you the opportunity to reinvent yourself, free of others preconceptions. It's like being reborn. The difficulty lies in the past. People who knew you "back when" still have you stuck in their past with no quarter given. For some there is no redemption, no forgiveness.

I choose growth, change, forgiveness and love.