Celebrating the Holidays!!

Hi Folks:

We’re running a little late with our Holiday Greeting this year… The winter solstice has come and gone, winter has descended up on us (here in Victoria, anyway!) and today marks the sixth day of Hanukkah.

As we move toward the vernal equinox we’re also entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again (here in the northern hemisphere, at least). More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And, sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

A gingerbread creation in the shape of a pegacorn. Per the rules, everything in the display must be edible. In this case the horn is made from drawn sugar, the wings were individually hand-cut and the final result is just exquisite.

Pegacorn – by Selena Olivera for the 2022 Victoria Gingerbread Showcase for Habitat for Humanity.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” —Princess Diana.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, from our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2023 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

Hugs,
M&M
🎅🤶

P.S. Above image made by Marcia.

New Day, New Year, New Beginnings

Time Moves Differently for the Ocean and the Shore

Time Moves Differently for the Ocean and the Shore

Hi Folks:

Well, for all of those who follow the Gregorian calendar, we’re now firmly ensconced in 2022. In some ways we’re in a boat that has left the pier and – even though it may be in reach, we know there’s no going back – only onward. Given the local, national and global events of 2020 and 2021, 2022 has a lot to live up to with regard to its older siblings. For some that becomes represented as hope, for others, despair. On this 4th day of January there are some who have already abandoned their New Year’s resolutions, and some who declined (resolutely) to state them in the first place. That’s understandable; a year is, after all, a lot to take in with one bite. We do better looking back, each from our own perspective, on what went right, wrong, and what might have been done better. But looking forward to the remaining 361 days on this calendar can be daunting. Our suggestion then is not to do so.

Don’t misunderstand. Big dreams are important, and plans that take time to unfold will continue to do so, but so often we have enough to do to get through today. Just today. This doesn’t mean we should ignore tomorrow or the remainder of the year, but in trying to carry all of that responsibility at once we force ourselves to turn away from what’s facing us right here, right now. So, just for a moment, stop. You may not be able to hold it for long, even a few seconds, but that’s a start, Now, in those few seconds or moments, push the rest of the year away and create around yourself a little circle of now. Quiet the hundred thousand thoughts, feelings and voices crowding into your mind and allow yourself one moment of clarity. Yes, the rest of the world is still out there. It’s not going away, but turn your attention to what you’re focusing on right now. There it is. It may be joyful or sad, it may be urgent or seem to be, and one part of your mind is telling you that you have a hundred thousand other voices all clamoring for your attention and you don’t have time to devote to this moment. But you do. You’ve done it, and you can do it again whenever you want to do so. In fact, it’s much better for you (and the rest of the world) to push back the jumble of your life even for a moment and see what’s right here, right now. Even if you’re multitasking, even if you’re juggling ten different things for ten different people, each of them is being queued in some sort of sequence. We owe it to ourselves to approach our day that way and the rest of the world will in return receive the best we have to offer.

We  are all multi-dimensional beings, playing multiple roles in each others’ lives. This is explained much more eloquently by our friend Gary in his blog post, “Many Sides of One“. Here’s an excerpt, but we’d suggest you follow the link to read the entire post:

“…I have failed or come up short in many of these things and I have also been blessed with a measure of success and joy. In all of them I have learned more about what works and what doesn’t.

I believe we have the capacity to change the world and help make it safer, saner, healthier, kinder and more peaceful. We are the sum total of all our parts and “every decision we have made has brought us to where we are.” (SAR)

This is a look back for a review which I do at the end of a day, a week, a month or a year. I put it away and look forward to the next day, one day at a time. I try to make the most and best of each day and live in the present. I make plans for the future in case there is one. I have written four books and have three others in process at different stages.

I meditate, walk, think, wonder, contemplate, talk, write, eat, drink and check in with others as we celebrate life as a blessing and a gift. An old year is ending, a new one beckons. Grace is revealed in gratitude.”

Each of us, like Gary, have lived unique and interesting lives. My experiences are not yours, and that is what makes you unique and special. Never doubt that you are. The rest of 2022 will unfold as it does. Tomorrow will be here soon enough, and when it arrives, it too will be faced as now. Take a mental step back and allow yourself a moment to face this moment, this day as it comes. Accept its trials and successes, its joys and laments and use those experiences to add to who you are. Be kind and recognize that the person next to you is facing their own trials, reveling in their own joys. Know you are loved, just because you’re you. We wish you peace.

Hugs,
M&M

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” ~  L.M. Montgomery

Celebrating the Holidays!!

Hi Folks:

Well, we’re into our second pandemic Holiday season, and pretty much everyone is doing their best to make it through the day. It’s a good reminder to all of us that everything on this planet we call home is connected… certainly not a new idea, but one worth remembering.

As we enter the first full day of winter (here in the northern hemisphere, at least) we’re also entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again. More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And, sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

From our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2022 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angeli

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Mawlid Un Nabi, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, we send you love. Create an amazing 2022!!

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. The image above is one made by Marcia during a recent visit to the Royal BC Museum here in Victoria. The image is iconic in that the 3rd floor of the museum, including the Old Town displays, will be closed on January 2, 2022 while the museum undergoes modernization and updating of their exhibits. Therefore, this is the last Christmas display there as it is now.

 

2022 Photo Calendars (part two)

Update!!

Hi Folks:

This is the twelfth year now that we’ve made our photo calendar templates available, both for MS Word users (for those who don’t use graphics programs) and as .png files for those who do. As before we will be making our own calendar available in .pdf format for those who are interested, but this year we’re doing the post in two parts. For our calendar we use images made in that month (i.e. the image for May 2022 was made in May 2021). Part one of this post featured the templates for those who want to make their own photo calendars; this update includes our version of the calendar, which can be downloaded as a .pdf (see below) Continue Reading →

2022 Photo Calendars (part one)

Hi Folks:

This is the twelfth year now that we’ve made our photo calendar templates available, both for MS Word users (for those who don’t use graphics programs) and as .png files for those who do. As before we will be making our own calendar available in .pdf format for those who are interested, but this year we’re doing the post in two parts. For our calendar we use images made in that month (i.e. the image for May 2022 was made in May 2021). Since we haven’t yet gotten to December our calendar isn’t yet complete, but we wanted to make the templates available so others can work on their own calendars. Continue Reading →