Hmmm...a winter color.  I mentioned one evening that the snow was blue - a sure sign of a chilly winter day at twilight.  We live in an area where, typically, there is not a lot of snow so what we get is greatly appreciated.  (You might wonder about the wisdom of that statement but we do like the snow!) 
 
And... earlier today we talked with someone in Maine.  She commented about traveling across country, visiting Ohio hills and being impressed with the beauty of the western desert.  She added, "Aren't we blessed that we live in a country where we can drive from one interesting area to another."  How true.

A recent photo in a newspaper showed a rock that has been determined to have originated on Mars.  (Probably there was a note attached to the rock saying "With love, from Mars...)  Just kidding! After investigation, the rock was discovered to be over 2 billion years old!  Can you imagine the wonders on this earth and in all the space that surrounds us!  Imagine what that rock has seen!
Maybe that is why I have such an interest in picking up rocks.  Just think of the events those rocks have experienced!!  The beginning of our world, maybe a flight from another world, being trod upon by the dinosaurs, being exploded into the air by a volcano, being crushed and reshaped by glaciers. (I have yet to understand glaciers as explained by a friend and author who tried to tell us about these mountains of moving ice.) 

Do you not just sit and wonder about this amazing creation - that which we personally experience and that which we can only imagine.  When something is truly beautiful or awesome, our little grandson will squat down, hands on his knees and exclaim, "Can you believe it!"  Well, actually that is not exactly what he says since he is only eighteen months old but that is just what he means!  I know that for sure!
 
January of a new year has arrived and I am sure there are going to be events that will both startle us and others that will thrill us right to the tips of our toes.  We live in a world that is capable of causing both experiences to happen.  I hope that as the year continues, I will be able to deal, in a healthy way, with those things that are disturbing and maybe even heart-wrenching.  I also hope that I shall not miss one single enthralling moment - although that is being a bit unrealistic.  I do hope that I can keep my eyes open, though, taking in as much of the awe that I know will appear.  

During the Christmas season, my husband read that theologians (or whomever is wise enough to know this) said that the angels probably didn't sing, the star probably didn't shine, and the shepherds probably didn't venture out seeking a baby.  What do they know anyway!  If a rock of some sort can fall to earth from a planet more than a few miles away, if the sun can shine at the right time and the moon only appears at night, if brave souls dared to travel to new and maybe frightening places...who is to say that there wasn't singing in the sky and a star brighter than anything one could imagine.  And why not take a risk and travel in search of something more special than one dare imagine.  

It's a new year.  I am working on about six quilted batik wall hangings.  I will be truly amazed if I should actually complete them in this year!  I am also writing - remembering stories from as far back as I can go...which isn't as far as I would like. I have a photo of my grandmother with her children gathered around her;apparently they are feeding the chickens.  I wish I could have gathered more stories from my family but I was too busy being 'young' then...so I am just trying to remember.  And I am going to mess around with my camera.  There are times I can't remember with my mind but when I look back at photos...I have an "Oh, ya...I remember that" moment. (Please scroll down to the end of all the blogs of more current photos.)
 
It's a new year.  Blessings to you.  I hope that your health is manageable, that your calendars are not too busy, that you are finding time to be a bit awestruck at the ordinary wonders of the day.  Maybe we aren't going to hear those angels singing but there is no reason why we can't imagine what it would have been like! 
  And going in search of the Christ child...well, I think that is something I am going to really work on this year.  I tend to look for 'the facts' and forget about how awesome simple faith can be. Maybe I need to be like those shepherds and go out exclaiming, "You will simply not believe what I have just seen!" 

We don't know what the year will bring.  Don't miss the singing angels, or the brightest of stars or especially the moments of "You won't believe what I have just seen/experienced!"  And even remember that when you can't hear the singing right at that moment or the world seems anything but bright...you are loved!  Now that is something we can share!!  

Now I am off to put away a few Christmas decorations and get the house back in order.  I will also save some time to work on stuff in my studio.  Projects in there call out my name on a regular basis and I need to remember that 'work' is just as important as the laundry and the cleaning. 

Blessings for the New Year.  Continue to stay in touch!
Corrine