Today is supposed to a list of five things. I’m struggling today. There are many things I could list–favorite books, songs, TV shows, movies. . . . But today, I am tapped out. Seriously.
I thought about my five favorite Christmas songs, but I like them all! I have the Amazon Echo Dot and listen to Amazon Music most days. Today, I have a Christmas Carol channel playing. Some of my favorites from today:
Mariah Carey, “Joy to the World” She mashed together the traditional carol with Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World.” Instead of “Joy to the fishes in the sea,” Mariah wishes “joy to the people you see.”
Mannheim Steamroller, “Hark the Herald Trumpets.” I can imagine the opening trumpets playing in a cathedral.
Bing Crosby, “The Little Drummer Boy.,” but this one wasn’t the duet with David Bowie. I’ll have to find that one.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra–’nuff said.
Any of the traditional Christian carols that have played.
Thursday gratitudes. . . . . Sometimes, it seems I write the same things over again: thankful for family, home, warmth on cool days, cups of fragrant hot cinnamon spice tea. I am thankful for these things. I am thankful for the orchid blooming in my living room window, for the gift of music (being able to perform as well as listen), for the beauty of the ponds in the back of the house, for the quiet of “country living.”
I am also thankful that I still have one parent. This week, two neighbors and friends lost their fathers; one of them has lost both parents. I know that bereft feeling of losing one’s father. I am thankful, though, that I had my father for more than half my life time; I am thankful that, when he did pass away, he did so with dignity–not attached to life support or in pain; that his passing was quiet and peaceful. And I am thankful that I was there, along with the family he loved so much. I am thankful that my mother is still with us. She is the same age that Daddy was when he passed away, and Mama is still going strong.
I am also thankful to have my father-in-law nearby. Though he is visibly aging now, he is still very independent.
I am thankful for my retirement. I did not want to leave my classroom when I did, but I see the blessing in it now. I have time to do things I didn’t do before. I have time to be creative. I’ve taken up drawing once again and make a drawing a day now. It’s fun; it’s relaxing; it’s meditative. Granted, I use image sources for my “creations,” but in a sense, all artists have image sources. I haven’t tackled portrait drawing nor animals, not even still lifes. I mainly do landscapes. Maybe one day, I will do some other types. We shall see.
I’ve noticed sometimes, not always, that writing engenders more writing. I woke up this morning when my CGM alerted me that my blood glucose level was a tad low. Breakfast and a cup of tea fixed that! I read for a bit. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I am a Regency historical novel junkie. So, I escaped into the nineteenth century for a bit. Then I began writing. . . First, the Here: Five Things (December edition) list of “Truths I Want to Write Down,” followed by my morning pages.
I started listening to Beth Kempton’s podcast, “The Fearless Writer.” in her first episode, she gave listeners the prompt “Today” for a ten-minute writing period. I’ve been following that prompt for a week now. After rambling about my weekend, I used “Today” to finish my pages. Here is my list:
Last night’s rain has moved out, and today is cold.
I hear the traffic on the road as usual. Our road is busy all the time!
The cinnamon in my tea (Harney and Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice black tea) burms my lips, but in a good way.
I think I will plug in my bottle lights tonight for a bit of Christmas color.
The sky is clear and blue. The air is still. It is the peace after the storm. Thankfully, the storms that swept through Tennessee and some states west of us missed us.
Today, even though it’s December and “winter”, the world seems greener because of the rain.
I joined the South Carolina Writers’ Association last week. Their prompt for today in their Facebook group asks when I first thought of myself as a writer. That’s an interesting question. I was writing stories when I was in high school. One of my college professors called me a writer when she gave feedback on one of my papers for the literary criticism class I took with her. I think I have thought of myself as a writer, though not one “consumed” by the public. Royalty checks, payment–does that make one a writer? Or does that simply mean that others consider someone to be a writer? As I work on my own novels, I need to give that some thought. But that’s a post for another day, I think.
ReadingThe Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton. I just started it, so I can’t give it a review. However, I do like thte “contemplative” nature of the process she is describing.
Eating homemade bread. I made some sourdough starter this week, but I’m baking plain yeast bread for the time being. I’m using my bread machine that has been sitting on the counter for years.
Listening to Dolly Parton’s new Rockstar album. Her covers of some classics are wonderful, especially when she teams up with some of the original artists, like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for “Let It Be,” Elton John for “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” and Lynard Skynard for “Freebird.”
Loving the cooler weather.
Creating Christmas ornaments for John and art for myself.
I decided that I needed to give myself some grace. I discovered Liz Lamoreaux’s Here: Five Things in June. I’ve followed Liz off and on for years, first as a scrapbooker and then art journaler (at least I tried to be an art journaler). Then “life” happened. So, the Five Things came as a new discovery. In June, I had “social media envy.” I tried to create beautiful pages for my lists in a bullet journal. That lasted three days, and I gave up because I didn’t think my pages looked as wonderful as the ones posted in the Facebook group. (Can you relate?)
I tried again in October and decided to write my lists simply. Sometimes I add a photo that pertains to the lists’ themes. I post photos of my handwritten lists occasionally. I try not to compare my pages to others. Each of us has our own ways of doing things and using the lists. Perfection is over-rated. I know that sometimes I set my expectations for myself too high and I cannot live up to that level. Therefore, I need to give myself grace.
I am thankful for that grace.
I started a project in October of photographing the cherry tree in the backyard from the porch steps. I documented the tree’s changes from the green of early fall through the bare branches of winter. This week, I walked out to the tree, and lo! and behold! it was loaded with bunches of cherries. I don’t think they are edible, though. I am so thankful I saw those cherries. I am anticipating the white blossoms later this winter.
It has turned cold! Well, it’s cold for this South Carolina girl. Anything under 65 degrees is cold to me! My sasanqua is blooming, but the cold mornings and frost last week have turned the flowers brown. Still, I am thankful for those beautiful pink flowers and the reminder of my grandmother. Camellias were Grandma’s flower. My other grandmother grew dahlias the size of dinner plates. I haven’t had that kind of luck with those flowers. I think I will try again this spring, though. I am thankful for my grandmothers (and grandfathers) and for the legacies they passed to their grandchildren.
This morning, I was lazy. I woke up several times between 3:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Three in the morning is not a good time to wake up. When I did wake up shortly after 9:00 a.m., I lingered in bed doing my puzzles–Wordle (in three attempts), a perfect run in Connections, and sixteen words in the NYTimes Spelling Bee. Then I read my email from Liz for the Five Things list: things that bring comfort. Today’s list included
a cup of hot cinnamon spice tea
a slice of warm homemade bread with butter
the smell of bread baking
chili simmering on the stove
fuzzy socks
John 14 (“Let not your heart be troubled. . . . “)
the quilt my Granny pieced and my mother finished and quilted
These comforting things also feed my soul.
I started listening to The Fearless Writer podcast. In each episode, the speaker provides a ten-minute writing prompt at the end of the session. The first episode provided the prompt “Today.” I want to practice these prompts, so I’m doing a week’s worth of “Today” prompts. Throughout today’s writing, which extended into a more Julia Cameron-like “Morning Pages” entry instead of a ten-minute writing sprint, the theme of feeding my soul kept coming up. I thought about what I do to feed my soul. Here’s what emerged:
Creating something–painting with my pastels, drawing, photographing something, knitting or crocheting, making a paper craft, writing a chapter in my novel
Reading–a novel, a nonfiction book
Bible study/devotions
Music–listening and/or singing along. Perhaps one day I will clean off the piano bench and play again.
Friendships
When I look at these things I do to nourish my soul, I wonder how I ever found time to teach well! But then again, putting my energy into teaching well did feed my soul, even the creative part because I was creating lessons and developing ideas for my students daily. Now that I am retired and no longer teaching, I can develop these other parts of myself.
The older I get, the more I see the need to fill the soul with things that are peronally meaningful. My journals are filled with things that I don’t imagine anyone else cares too much about. I wonder what my children will do with these notebooks and sketchbooks when I’m gone. I wonder if they will know what was in my soul when I created them.
I don’t usually ask for comments, but I would like to know what feeds and nourishes your soul.
I don’t know if I have five things today. I feel kind of stagnant today. I tried to create with my pastels, something I have been making a more or less daily habit, but instead of something that looked almost like art, I ended up with a muddy mess. I relegated those pages to the trash can. Still, it hasn’t been a wash-out for the day–yet.
The first of my five things (hopefully) are ways I’m preparing for the Advent and Christmas season.
The Sacred Ordinary Days daily planner. I have used this planner off and on for several years. I like that it is dated. There are options for daily pages and weekly pages in a two-page spread. I use the daily planner. It is organized around the church liturgical year. This year, Advent begins on December 3, the first Sunday in Advent. Advent ends on the evening of December 24, Christmas Eve. Each day’s page has the lectionary readings for that day as well as a breath prayer at the top of the page. There are three spaced for the top three priorities for the day, some lined spaced for listing, journaling, appointments, etc. And there is white space for filling in (or not) as you please.
Liz Lamareaux’s Here: Five Things, the December edition. Each day, Liz sends an email with a prompt for making a list of things. Today’s prompt is to list five things to hold close during the month of December.
Shimelle Laine’s Journal Your Christmas. I’ve been doing this class off and on for several years. I have not filled a book yet, but that’s okay. I pick and choose the things I want to focus on. Sometimes, I just write about the prompt in my regular journal. Christmas is a difficult season for me. I think it’s because we try to cram everything into twenty-five days. Some days there is too much to do. That makes me anxious. I am hoping that between the Five Things and JYC classes, I can slow down and savor the Christmas season.
Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year, by Beth Kempton. I used an Audible credit to get this book. I will be listening a little each day.
This last thing is not so much in preparation for the season, but to give me some inspiration and space to write. I am listening to Beth Kempton’s The Fearless Writer podcast. Each episode have a short talk at the beginning on some aspect of writing and “mindfulness” around writing. She provides a spark to think about–a poem, quote, or something along that line and then a writing exercise. I hope this will keep me writing.
So, I did have five things for the gray late fall afternoon.
It’s Thankful Thursday. Today, I am especially thankful for heat–heated seats in the car and heat in the house! It is just plain COLD! I know: it’s that time of year. I had to go to the doctor’s office for blood work before my “Medicare WellCare” appointment next week. Frost covered my car windshield.
This greeted my eyes when I set out this morning. I love those white, wispy clouds.
Yes, that is frost on the ground! It looks cold. When I came home with hot coffee in hand from a local coffee shop, the blue heron was on the pond. It flew before I could get the picture.
I am so thankful for these “God moments.”
Tomorrow is the beginning of the Advent season in the liturgical church year. I think it’s my favorite season of the church year. I’ve been reading some things about Advent in the last week. As we approach Christmas and the winter solstice, I’m thinking about how busy we make this season of the year. I read that in the pre-Christian eras, people would take the wagon wheels off their conveyances and bring them in the house to decorate with evergreens as a reminder that this is a season to slow down and stay put, as it were. The greens remind us that spring will come.
My favorite verse for this time of year is Isaiah. 9:2. “Those who walk in darkness have been a great light; on those living in the space of deepest darkness, a great light has dawned.” When I was growing up in the Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church, we always attended Christmas candlelight services. The liturgy was the same every year, and this verse was part of that liturgy. At some point in the service, the children would line up on the altar steps to sing “Away in a Manger” under the direction of Ms. Imogene Smith. This service is the epitome of the Advent season for me. Now, we do the candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Although it is meaningful, there was something about having the service before Christmas that made me anticipate the birth of Christ more.
One of my favorite Advent carols is “O Come, O Come, Emanuel.” I think the version by Mannheim Steamroller is one of the best. What a lovely invitation to the Advent season. Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel.
I will give away my age; I haven’t had a United States or South Carolina history class in over 40 years. In fact, I think the last history class I had was the world history class I took as a freshman at Newberry College in 1976. However, I had a history class on Saturday when my husband and I started our “tour” of South Carolina State Parks. Right now, there are 47 state parks. A few of them are overnight parks with villas, cabins, and camping sites. A lot of them are day-use-only parks offering hiking trails and sometimes fishing and other outdoor activities. We went to two day-use parks: Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site and the Battle of Musgrove State Historic Site. Both were very interesting places to visit. The parks are open from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Entrance to Rose Hill is free; there is a $3.00 per adult parking fee for Musgrove Mill. Rose Hill offers a tour of the restored plantation house of William Gist, known as the “Secessionist Governor” since he was the governor of South Carolina when the state seceded from the Union in 1860. The tour of the house was impressive for the amount of history the park ranger gave us in 45 minutes to an hour. (Tours of the house are Friday through Monday, 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. On Thursday, there is one tour at 1:00 p.m., but there is also a program called Voices of the Ancestors, which chronicles the life of slaves in the South. I don’t know those times off the top of my head.)
The ranger talked about the role of the slaves in the lives of the plantation owners and described the hardships of slavery and the attitudes toward slaves held by the plantation owners of Rose Hill. She also talked about the role the Gist family played during Reconstruction as members of the Ku Klux Klan. It is difficult history to hear, especially if you have grown up with the romanticized version of plantation life depicted in books and movies such as Gone with the Wind. The lesson I had from my Rose Hill tour is not what I remember from my elementary, middle, and high school history classes. It is not revisionist history, either. Sometimes, we gloss over the hard parts of our past, but we cannot bury that past, either. How else are we to learn from it if we don’t know it?
The gardens at Rose Hill have also been restored, but what really impressed me were the gigantic magnolias in front of the house. These magnolias are said to be about 200 years old. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such large ones. They are probably magnificent in the spring and early summer when they are in bloom.
The second park, the Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, is equally interesting. I knew there were some key Revolutionary War battle sites in South Carolina, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Camden, and Fort Moultrie, for example. I did not know about Musgrove Mill or Blackstock until I began researching the state park system and planning our tour. Musgrove Mill was a key turning point for the Patriot militia in South Carolina. I do remember learning something about General Nathaniel Green in history classes, but not much. The exhibit about the role of women in the Revolutionary War impressed me, and I would like to learn more about the female spies and helpers during this period. According to legend, Mary Musgrove may have been such a spy for the Patriots even though her father Edward tried to remain neutral. The monument to Mary Musgrove was erected sometime in the early 20th century to commemorate her role in the Revolutionary War.
The British commandeered his property, including his mill (which ground corn and wheat). The Musgrove property lay on the banks of the Enoree River and offered a ford. This was an ideal position for the British forces to control communication and travel as well as to have a ready source of provisions to feed the troops. We walked the British camp trail by the river. Next time I visit this park (and there will be a next time), I’ll do the waterfall trail.
The original Musgrove plantation house and the mill are long gone. Floods washed out a bridge crossing the Enoree River. All that’s left are the pillars. It disappointed me that the park did not offer a printed map with explanations of things to watch for as you walk the trails. There were a few interpretative signs about, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity about the history. Perhaps the waterfall trail has more. (Next time I will print out the maps from the state park website and be better prepared!)
As I said, these two parks taught me some things about the history of my state that I did not know or did not learn when I was a student. I spoke with a park employee at Musgrove Mill, and he agreed that our history lessons are lacking in teaching local history. He is from Union, SC, just about 30 or 40 miles from where I live. It’s only when history teachers take it upon themselves to take students to historic sites such as these that the gaps are filled in.
History is a difficult thing. There is the saying that the victors write the histories. Perhaps it is so. I know that a visit to Rose Hill and the tour of the house will quickly dispel any notion of the “happy slave” and the romantic view of life on Southern plantations. Walking through the museum and visitors’ center at Musgrove Mill will provide an interesting perspective on the role of women during the Revolutionary War.
I will plan another round of visits to SC State Parks soon (with or without my husband). I plan to soak up as much history as I can as well. Hopefully, within the next two years, I will join the ranks of the Ultimate Outsiders, folks who have visited all 47 state parks in South Carolina.
It’s a Thankful Thursday. My pastor reminded me yesterday that Thanksgiving celebrations have been around for millennia. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives the Israelites a mandate to give thanks during the Festival of Weeks. It is a reminder that every day should be a day of thanks.
Today, I am thankful for
The beautiful light on the trees. I came home from the grocery store yesterday afternoon to see this:
My family. There will be an empty seat at the Summer family table again this year, the eighth Thanksgiving without Daddy. Yet, he will be there in spirit. Mama celebrated her 88th birthday in May and is in remarkable health. I am thankful to have her. I will miss my younger son and his family because he has to work his shift at the fire station.
My grandson. Sully is thriving and running his mama and daddy ragged! When he was born two years ago, he was very much premature. We expected a “Thanksgiving turkey” but ended up with a “Halloween Pumpkin” instead. He figured out how to open his daddy’s big-boy pliers.
For beautiful weather. The Summer-Price-Fulmer-Gorsage families had lunch today outside. It was cool, but I wore a shawl to keep warm. The sky is a wonderful shade of blue; clouds are the soft, wispy ones. It couldn’t have been a better day.
It’s all too easy to be thankful when things are going well or when “big things” happen. However, I am thankful for the small things as well, like the golden sunlight of late afternoons, the heat that comes on when it’s 37 degrees outside, good food and fellowship with extended family, a peaceful afternoon, good books, time to write and draw and create, the health and good lives of my children and grandchild. These things are simple pleasures, and I am thankful.
Telling Stories 