solstice

Today was a warm and rainy first day of winter.

In years past I have gone to solstice circle dances and we've had lovely bonfires in the cold, crisp winter night.  This year Claire and I marked the day with a small gift to the (wild) animals, a hike in the woods and a candlelit dinner.  The rain kept us in this evening and in lieu of our standard change-in-season outdoor fire we kept the fire burning inside and watched the candlelight flicker and dance across the dining table.

We left a plate of goodies for the squirrels and birds on a stump near the wood pile and another on our picnic table out front.  After placing our little offering on the picnic table, I suggested to Claire that we sit on the steps and watch for a little while to see if the birds would come for their treat.  We sat.  She started shouting (quite sweetly, but shouting all the same...) "Bi-iiirds! Come get your special tree-eeeaaatss!"  I then suggested maybe it was time for us to move on.

So we ran some errands and did a little last minute gift gathering around town.  And then we headed to the woods.  There is a new(ish) trail in the Montreat trail system called the Sanctuary Trail.  Part of it is called the "prayer path", which is a short self-guided walk with stops aimed at bringing about quiet reflection and meditation.

So, as much as is possible with a nearly 2 year old in tow, I quietly reflected and meditated.  Sort of.

I walked this little labyrinth, arms folded behind my back..... then looked up to see Claire sort of following me with her arms folded behind her back and a quiet little smile of satisfaction on her face.

We touched the cool, green moss and listened to the sound of the waterfalls.  She fell running across a wooden bridge and the water was a nice distraction.  After sitting there for a bit and touching the water she turned to me and said "I feel better now."

Yep, me too.

There's no medicine quite like running water.

Our evening ended without much excitement.  (except for the novelty of eating just by candlelight) Roasted root veggies and buttery, cheesy noodles for dinner.  And pomegranates.  And a little cottage cheese.

One of those "papa isn't home and mama doesn't feel like making a real production over dinner but let's try to make it somewhat nourishing" kind of meals.....


I loved the way the candlelight cast shadows of the greenery onto the table... it almost looked like a little sun dancing on the table.