Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present-moment experience – I did this long before I knew it was a thing…
Being aware of the sun on my face – the laughter of my children – my lover’s hand in mine – the silky fur of my clean dog…these are the moments that make up life.
A tasty mug of coffee to start my morning – fun flavors to choose from and a beautiful mug from Holland from my son – the aroma – the heat – the taste
A book I couldn’t put down – a page turner – watched the show on Netflix with my husband then found the book – a good book is such a treasure
Julie & Joy with Crystal Peak in the background
Ahhh – just in from an invigorating walk in our nature trail with my husband, Joy our sheltie and Hope our border collie on this sunny afternoon in the mountains – it just feels so good to walk
Hope & ‘her’ tree on the nature trail
Joy in front of our Christmas tree – extra special as she was so ill recently we didn’t think she was going to make it – Bruce cut our Christmas tree down last weekend – fresh pine permeates the air – we played Christmas classics while decorating our tree
There are many activities in town all winter and of course Christmas activities in December like the Christmas parade, the lighting of the Christmas tree, Christmas in our little mountain village where all the stores have decorated and have treats out and Christmas music playing – and more, we usually enjoy the peacefulness of the season and staying home, having each other to be with and enjoy along with Joy and Hope
Caleb Bruce our 1st born grandchild is 11, James our 2nd grandchild is 8, Theresa our only granddaughter is 5, Soul our youngest grandchild is 3 & Elsa has been in our lives for years – like our local grandchild
We will have Christmas zoom calls – the cousins will all be together as our daughter and her family, join our son and his family for a few days at Christmas – noisy fun!
There’s such peacefulness in the blue of the early morning with only the firelight and the lights from the Christmas tree glowing
Husband and I do stretches with Mike Kutcher or
Tai chi with David Dorian Ross at home as is our preference – though there is always an exercise group in town – we incorporate these exercises along with our daily walks and healthy eating habits – working at staying strong and healthy – especially as we age
Hello Fresh is delivered to our front door – this is our dinner for Christmas Eve after the candles and carols service under the stars in the Presbyterian Church’s courtyard
This beautiful Christmas Eve service started in 2019 with the onset of Covid – one of the good things to come out of the necessity for change in staying safe
This lemon Jell-o ‘salad’ is a Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition from my mother-in-law – Bruce and I like the sweet and tart taste of: crushed pineapple, banana, and marshmallows, with whip cream, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top
Our Hello Fresh meal for Christmas Day
Mrs. Smith makes our pies – pumpkin for Christmas with whip cream to be added
The pop and crackle of the fire – the warmth – the soft light…Husband keeps carrying the firewood up here from under our cabin – constantly filling the firewood boxes inside and on our front deck – stay strong my love!
40 years ago Meme (my mother’s mother) made our stockings – Bruce and I write each other Christmas cards expressing our love and appreciation of each other and put them in each other’s Christmas stockings along with little gifts
My sweet husband (last year – no fresh snow this Christmas)
I trust if you are reading this you have power and are warm – we have so much to be grateful for…what are you especially thankful for? What are some Christmas traditions from long ago you carry on today?
“The most precious gift we can give one another is letting them know they matter.” Julie A R Stephens
julie@handsbestrong.com
Julie
Enjoyed your post with such positive and happy thoughts and reflections
Happy New Year
Fred Yeaer
Fred!
So good to hear from you – thank you kindly for reading and giving your reflections – so glad my writing was meaningful to you – Happy New Year friend!