Celebrating Epiphany

I love Epiphany.  I may even love it more than I love Christmas.
It is a unigue and untainted holiday - Holy Day - of recognizing the birth of that baby in a manger as being the birth of Christ  the Saviour. 

I collect Nativities.  I think I have 19 of them and I leave them all out until January 6 as a reminder that the birth of Christ was only the beginning. 

We celebrate again on Epiphany by enjoying each and every representation I have - wood, clay, porcelain, paper, metal, resin - of the Holy Family and the Three Wise Men bringing gifts.
We talk about gift giving and receiving, about the baby Jesus, about his mother Mary and about Joseph.

This year, because Natalie Bird, one of my granddaughters, is four, we talked alot about the donkey and the sheep and especially the angels.  She was the Angel of the Lord in the Christmas pageant this year and she is very fond of the word BEHOLD.

Many years ago I began celebrating this Holy holiday with my Goddaughter Alicia.  Yesterday we celebrated with her and her two beautiful wee ones. 

God is good.
The dictionary definition of Ephphany
1capitalized: January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ

2: an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3a (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2): an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3): an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b: a revealing scene or moment. 

 

May your year be filled with Epiphany and with the illumination of many epiphanies. 

 

Joyfully, bevelry 

Humility

Yesterday I posted that in the year of the dragon I was planning to BE the dragon.  Well, The old adage " be careful what you ask for " is playing a majoy role in my day.  The lead part. 
I have a throat on fire. 

Interesting in our new "spiritual" age ( maybe it isn't so new but not the point ), I think a lot of us tend to try and be more open to the lessons of challenging situations.  I know I do, and perhaps the lesson is one of humility.  I may need to choose what " kind" of dragon I want to be; a loud obnoxious threatening takeembytheteeth kind or a kind hearted, stong, dragon confident yet gentle.  And maybe there is no lesson.  Maybe I simply have the common cold, a virus picked up on the grocery cart, or from a wee one. 

For today, I will humbly drink Vit C, maybe some more bourbon in my hot totty at bed time, plod along through the day knowing that even dragons get colds. 

AHHHHCHOOOO. 
bevelry

Quest

quest        

   /kwɛst/ Show Spelled[kwest]  noun

 1.a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something: a quest for uranium mines; a quest for knowledge.

2. Medieval Romance . an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something: the quest of the Holy Grail.

3. those engaged in such an expedition.

 

verb (used without object)

4. to search; seek (often followed by for or after ): to quest after hidden treasure.

5. to go on a quest.

 

Do you have a quest?  Are you on a quest? 

Think about that and have a wonder filled day!

Joyfully, bevelry

The Year of the Dragon

2011 was brutal.  Joyful at times, but brutal.

It ended with a sad goodbye to the best mother-in-law in the world, Shirley A. Kipp followed by one of the best Christmas ever. Shirley loved Christmas so we honored that and celebrated.

Now it is 2012 - the year of the Dragon - and the " attic project".  Step by step we are taught as children when we tackled, first walking, and later, any big project.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott was the first book I was given about writing after my husbands death.
Now it is Box by Box. 
Elizabeth, my oldest daughter, is my partner in productivity for this massive undertaking and she has wrangled a room full of baby furniture and clothes into submission and order.

I am dancing with the Chritmas room. I have amazing and wonderful - mostly - Christmas treasures.
I am packing away only the wonderful ones.  Neatly. Labeled.
Box by Box will be the way to conquer the attic.

In 2011 the Dragon nearly killed me.

It is 2012.  I AM the dragon.
Joyfully, bevelry

Welcome to My Home 2012

In 2011 I had a new roof put on my house.  It is tremendous.  So is the bank loan, but.....
That new roof brought many unexpected gifts.

 I had to gut my attic. My attic is huge. It is the full third story of my one hundred year old house. When we bought it in 1978 it was empty and immaculate. That was a long time ago. My late husband was a reporter with many hobbies. The garage houses some still, the cellar has a few remnants but the attic holds the records of all of his genius - plus a few artifacts from his life;  his hat collection, his photographs, his drawings, and his journals - All of his journals. 

We raised four children in this house. They also had many interests and many chapters in their lives. Some of the mementos moved with them when they married and - some of them didn't.

We are readers. When our book shelves got full downstairs, we put another one in the attic  My attic has a "finished" section and an " unfinished" section. I had to move or tarp everything from first one area and then another in order to remove all the old fiberglass insulation, throw it out a window onto a porch roof, climb out on the roof, shovel it onto the driveway and then haul it away. I did it alone one dark night into the wee hours and then I hired a kid.   I love kids. They are worth every penny they get. We shoved everything we possibly could into the "finished" section. That still needs to be gutted.

In 2012 I must reinsulate my attic.  .

You get the picture. 

I need to move all of those precious and not so precious memories out of the attic before they can fill in all the nooks and crannies of the very top of this old house.

 How many unexpected treasures do you think we will find? How many tears will we shed and how much laughter will ring out? How many dump runs will we make as we sort and pitch? How many bumps and bruises will we brandish as we carry down every single item from 33 years of "putting it in the attic"?

As the rain rains down, I love my new 2011 roof.  I also love the idea that it brings with it the choice  to bring order from chaos.

Welcome to my home 2012.  I am making room for you.
Love, bevelry