Happy New Year!

Well, we made it. And it was good. We celebrated with friends, and spent hours around the kitchen table with good food, canned goods opened and enjoyed, and cordials from the summer uncorked and allowed to breathe. We invited a friend who would have spent the evening alone. We are blessed knowing he now feels more welcomed into this community, that there are others who share his world views, and who enjoy his company. We are blessed with those sorts of opportunities.

And this morning I put together two submissions, one that was sent successfully, and one that is ready to go with the journal's Submissions Manager is back working. Perhaps Monday. No problem - my goal was to get one submission out on the last day of 2009, which I did, and on the first day of 2010. Goal accomplished. My acceptance ratio was slimmer in 2009, and part of that might be due to my choice of journals, and also to the fact that a huge portion of my subs went to book contests.


A few days ago I got a fortune in one of my cookies which foretold of something good. I won't say what it was until I find out what will happen. It's a mystery.


I hope you all were surrounded by love as the Old Year became the New. A sense of resurrection, of rebirth. The circle of life keeping on. My friend who loves to cook made a big pot of beans with sliced sausage and black-eyed peas. Circular things are good luck in Philippine culture. Makes sense to me. She also made a fantastic Brussels sprouts dish, and of course those are round, too. I served pickle slices and round crackers. Before they are cooked, cranberries are little round gems.



A tradition in my family on my dad's side was to eat a New Year fish (sugar) cookie, so DD made the cookies, and I gave them scales and mouths. Some had chocolate chip eyes, and others saw through round red hots.

My cat is happy to have quiet restored this morning, however. She was very "close" today, trying to share the small space of pillow next to me while I read yesterday's comics and attempted the Seattle Times sudoku.

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On a sad note, our Gecko, Sam, passed away sometime between the Old and the New. We will probably bury Sam in the garden outside the kitchen window, which was the view from the terrarium. We'll miss you~

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In closing, a round ornament, for luck. May you all experience goodness this coming year!

Happy New Year

So, I'm letting the year close behind me. I'm sitting in my "office," the washing machine working, the Monkees Greatest, Moody Blues 'Days of Future Past,' Joe Jackson's "Jumpin' Jive," Aerosmith (Honkin' on Bobo), and Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper' on shuffle in the other room. I've been in the kitchen, but don't feel too compelled to be in there right now. I've vacuumed the living room. I cooked the cod for lunch, and it was good.

It occurred to me while listening to DH grumping about car troubles (our car is in the shop, a bit longer than we wanted it to be), that for every grouse there needs to be a balancing observation of something good. This is mostly because I wasn't in the mood for negativity, even though taking the car in to the shop is a pain, as you feel a lot helpless when it's in other hands. DH usually does most of the work on it, but sometimes there are things that one can't do - especially since many cars are much more complicated than they used to be, and getting to certain spots to fix something can be darn near impossible without the right tools.

That said, I was looking forward to this evening, the here and now, and not the car, which I know has to be fixed, and it going to cost. My Piscean brain just didn't want to go any further into those waters, didn't want to get water-logged. Wanted to hear something positive. And of course, the moment made me think about how not to dwell too long in the negative. I realise it - yes - this is all easier said than done, and I'm sure I'll gripe at some later time at my own 'advice,' but it's how I feel right now. Bring on the good stuff!

And there is a lot of good stuff. Life, family, friends, a place to live, food to eat, an abundance of wildlife, water, air, earth, and the host of natural elements. And so much more. Beauty, for instance. The moon, flowers, babies, Snowy Owls. Compassion. And forgiveness.

This is probably why I don't do well for very long when it comes to the news and the world of politics. Too many folks doing quirky things, too many politicians losing sight of what's really important. How to live together in harmony, for instance. How to love and appreciate the many colors we are, the many persuasions and religions, the many talents we have.

So, my wish for you, dear readers, is that you hold on to that gift of openness that is available to us, the gift of love, the gift of quiet contemplation, and of hope. Give one or more of those gifts away to someone you wouldn't expect to give it to. Pass it along. It'll come back to you. Really.

You are beautiful. You are important. You are loved.

Here are some words by Marianne Williamson (often attributed to Nelson Mandela) I keep nearby. It's a good reminder for me to look at them more often:

"...Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."


Happy New Year~