Little Theo and his mom and dad shared five days with us last week, driving to Vermont from Ohio. He helped Batman cut down a small tree and decorated it with straw ornaments from Sweden. We baked cookies, read books, played cars, did crafts, visited King Arthur and the Montshire Museum, went antiquing and sledding, too. We wrung the days dry! And slept well at night!
I read a fascinating story on npr this morning about The Okalolies of Old Year’s Night: Celebrating tradition on the world’s most remote inhabited island. (Sometimes I wish I had majored in anthropology in college.)
And, so, I am writing to wish you a fine Old Year’s Night. May you find strength and inspiration as you turn toward the new year. In all the times of our lives, this feels like the year to create and hold fast to our aspirations and hopes.
May we remember with gratitude, two remarkable people, whose legacies I’ll invite with me into 2025. Jimmy Carter was the first person I voted for in a national election and his time with us has fanned out to cover a century of a life well lived.
And Nikki Giovanni, whose words wove into America’s widening awareness of different perspectives.
This morning, just as the sun rose over the ridge behind us, the light leapt onto the hills to the west and lit up the sky with a fleeting blast of salmon/orange. Snow is due tonight, to refresh the subdued landscape. I will be waiting for it, along with the fresh start that comes with a new year.
Batman and I listened to this piece on npr the other day, and it moved us both. I will come back to it more than once this year, I am sure of it. Amazing Grace was first performed on New Year’s Day in 1773, over 250 years ago.
So dearest friends, be safe tonight. I’ll “see” you next year. Godspeed.
xo