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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas

This is a big moment for many of us as we finally come to the shortest day of the year, the longest night, and from now on our days are slowly going to grow in light. Many mark the day with yule logs and a bringing back of the light celebrations which might involve candles.

This is such a crazy, hectic time that it can be difficult to take time to reflect. Colds and flu are everywhere.  For me, Solstice is a good time to look at my previous year and ahead to the one coming. We made it over the hump once again. There are many potential rituals attached to that from Celtic days. Solstices are the real turning points-- not our end of the calendar year which is neat but is artificially put together for accounting more than any real biological event.


For me a lot of difficult things came down since my last Winter Solstice which I had celebrated in Tucson. I am looking for the coming year to be better-- I hope. I lost two much beloved cats from our fur family, when I rarely lose one over many years. One, a young cat, was a particularly tough loss that still hurts if I let myself think about it.

My health has had some tests which led to no more gluten or dairy (that makes eating complicated let me tell you). Then came a recent painful facial and ear condition which maybe is diagnosed or maybe not but it didn't feel good. These aren't big things by many standards, but they aren't fun either. I can know I am a lucky woman on a ton of standards, but I also am a woman who will be glad to see this year behind me.

To show some of the good things in my year, I went through 2013 photos for some of my favorites-- excluding, of course, any of the family. These are from big to small moments where each brings back good memories.



One thing I've learned in my now just over 70 years of life-- the best moments in my life aren't the big, exciting ones but instead the small, still ones. The little accomplishments. The lucky times I see something I'd never seen before. Even the sad moments. I can't hold any of them. Some I just want to get through as fast as possible.

Photography is about capturing a moment in a different way so it can be pulled back and the feelings surge over you with the memories. For me, the lesson is you can't hold back life. Life goes on, and we are left to savor memories from special times, enjoy what is right in front of us, and look to what is ahead.

11 comments:

sonia a. mascaro said...

What a beautiful post, Rain!
I am sorry for the loss of your two much beloved cats...
I hope the painful facial and ear condition will be better very soon!
Love seeing these gorgeous pictures of the good things in your year!
Thank you for your wise words! I will affix it on my memo: "the lesson is you can't hold back life. Life goes on, and we are left to savor memories from special times, enjoy what is right in front of us, and look to what is ahead."
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Hugs,
Sonia.

Rain Trueax said...

thank you, Sonia, and hugs back. The ear/sinus thing is gone for now but it appears to be a chronic problem related to allergies; so I'll have to stay alert for it.

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

Beautiful gallery of photos. Happy Solstice! My favorites are the sunsets and lambs.
This year has been a milestone turning 70. Can't take health for granted any more. Hope your facial problems will ease up as I write. I am happy that it is bright and sunny and we will be getting longer days.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Love those Lamb pictures and well....ALL the animal photos are wonderful. Those darling Foxes---And I am glad the days will be getting longer, once again.
I hope you and Farm Boss and ALL of your family have a WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS, my dear Rain. I hope 2014 will be a better year for you and yours, in every way, but most especially health-wise!.

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful photos of the year, rain. A lovely look back.

I'm wondering about your ear and face pain. My sister was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia last year. It's an incredibly painful condition that effects the face and ear. It's a nerve inflammation. She only found relief with prednisone. I hope your pain has resolved.

Celia said...

I'd forgotten the foxes and your stories of them I enjoyed so much. Wonderful shots of the past year. I'm finding the post 70 life more contemplative than I expected or maybe its just winter.

la peregrina said...

Lovely post. A belated Happy Solstice to you, Rain.

(Maybe I am a goof but it is exciting to see a photo of your books. Getting published is a big deal.)

Mark said...

Very, very nice.

Hattie said...

Best to you this Christmas and a Happy New Year too.

Rain Trueax said...

Merry Christmas and happy new year to everyone. Thanks so much for commenting and being here. It means so much.

The doctor wasn't sure of the cause but prednisone is what I used which can help with many things. So far it hasn't come back. I have a friend with TN and the pain seems to me to be beyond what I felt but time will tell, I guess as such things to recur. I got a prescription to take with me to Tucson for prednisone just in case. I hate taking it as the last time I took it for poison oak, I put on weight. It's a crazy thing why it would do that but it is known for it. So we'll see this time as one thing I don't need is more weight ;)

Dick said...

Very nice photos. I agree with your lesson on not being able to hold back life. When I lost Annie one of the most amazing things to me was that while MY world had seemed to turn upside down, for everyone else it all continued as if nothing extraordinary had happened. And you are quite right in that we can no longer take good health for granted. I hit 70 a few days before you and it is hard to realize that I am that old. But we also have to keep remembering that while we keep getting older, the alternative isn't good.