Golden Threads

My first (Santa Claus) Christmas gift
designed by my brother Larry Hersberger

In the space around each of us

invisible golden threads lead to yesteryear.

Some tarnished with age and neglect

others still shine with joy and love ~

shining ever more brightly in 

the quiet wisdom of any holiday season.

“As every thread of gold is valuable, so is every moment of time.”

~ English Proverb

A Little Bit More

’Twas the week before Christmas..

My plans went awry

so I pouted and worried that

Christmas Day I’d cry

So I planned a real party ~

a Pity Party of sorts

with tears and with whining

all by myself.   

Very lacking in wisdom,

I scrapped that boring plan

and started from memory

to see if there’s fun to be had.

So I rooted around in my memory trunk

of a stocking from Santa filled with toys and with treats

of aromas of turkey, savoury dressing, scalloped potatoes and pies,

candy canes, music, reading books and a walk.

Soon Christmas Day seemed appealing

in my own cosy home,

and I’ll be my own Santa

my stocking filled with memories to come.

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! 

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. 

What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Ensemble Laude: Glimmer - An Evening of Choral Song

On this past rainy blustery Sunday evening, I was enchanted by Ensemble Laude in their choral arrangements on the theme of Glimmer. I did question the wisdom of even going out in the bluster but was amazed by this all female choir, dressed in black and mauve. They stood tall and let their voices ring in the wonderful acoustics of the Alix Goolden Performance Hall here in Victoria. Members of the choir changed positions, including up into the balcony of this amazing 800 seat venue.

Readings interspersed throughout provided interesting interludes allowing the choir to reorganize providing their best voice and harmony as well as to allow the audience time to settle more deeply into the music and theme of Glimmer. There was limited, and understated, accompaniment for only a few of their songs. Their final songs of the evening were upbeat and energetic, ending this beautiful evening of secular choral music.

From ensemblelaude.org. :

“Ensemble Laude began in 1998 with a group of 12 singers focused solely on medieval music. It has since expanded into a vibrant community choir of over 50 vocalists. Today, our concerts offer and eclectic repertoire, mostly unaccompanied, encompassing early music, sacred and secular works, and folk and world music. We are committed to expanding choral repertoire for workmen’s voices and regularly commission new Canadian works that preserve and revitalize early-music theme within contemporary settings.”

“It took me a long time to develop a voice, and 

now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.’”

~ Madeleine Albright

Quiet Reflection

To gather oneself quietly

despite holiday jingle bells

is to breathe deeply of 

the wisdom of peace and

the spirit of good will .

“Good will, like a good name, is got by many actions, and lost by one.”

~ Lord Francis Jeffrey, 1773-1850

Traditional Memories

My gingerbread house - showing only what's best.

This essay is a first for me - not a first essay - but first to be actually written and edited on this blog page. Had things to do before sitting down to write this post. Coffee, reading, yoga and some writing. Checking bus times for getting downtown this morning. (This morning fast disappearing as I write this). There won't be much, if any Christmas shopping, but shopping for a new pair of sneakers. That is another story. What I want to visit about this morning is maintaining the Christmas atmosphere at home that I grew upon with and enjoyed as a child.

The North American culture has wisely embraced many individuals from many, many different cultures with the promise of religious freedom. Over the years, that promise has been questioned, broken, and sometimes just plain ignored. So much so that, my own personal religious freedom and that of many others were born and raised in a Christian tradition. I am no longer a practising member of any church, having developed beliefs that are consistent with the core of many religions. I have chosen not to affiliate myself with any specific church dogma.

But......and this is a big but. I still love all the Christmas music, Christmas trees and all things - except for the shopping - Christmas. Even the windows 'snowed' with wintertime scenes. I am not willing to give those things up as they connect me to a part of my past that is filled with joy, family times and really good books (The Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew come to mind). Fireplaces and Santa Claus. It is all labeled Christmas but the meaning of Christmas is different for everyone. In our house, I recall my dad going to pick up Grandma and Grandpa for breakfast - before church? - and the delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs and sausage (I think) and..............

Now for my personal problem. I am and have lived on my own for many years. Christmas has been a lonely time, a time of remembering what I didn't have and many times a time of working shifts over Christmas. Actually that last has sometimes benefited me as I was with colleagues and patients all in the same boat, celebrating together in our own ways. But I digress. Tired with feeling left out and alone, my home is true to what I enjoy - and without guilt. Maybe with just a bit of passive aggressive attitude.

I put up decorations - smaller but still festive. I play Christmas music - to be more culturally correct 'seasonal' - and love it. I attend Christmas events. And there is one more thing that I was never able to do as a child that I always wanted to - I build a gingerbread house. Granted it's from a kit, but it's fun. 

I'll keep the part of this tradition that I enjoy. If I can will share in the celebrations of other religions, recognizing that the childhood memories for each of still lives.

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire."

~ Gustav Mahler