Sunday Letter: Sentimental Choices
This holiday season finds us in the home of my husband’s mother, mixing our holiday traditions with hers. The layering of traditions becomes a quilt of sentimental choices as I notice the expressions of this home’s curator.
Looking for a sense of grounding during this time of change, I wandered around a local bookstore, looking for ordinary wisdom in paper and ink, shared by other life recorders. The store held many famous stories, penned with the help of writing partners, but the everyday wisdom proved elusive.
I was seeking guidance in recording the details of time immersed in the "sentimental choices" of another, a phrase I discovered in Blue Nights, by Joan Didion.
This Christmas Eve, classical holiday music brings back memories of the traditional holiday mass of my childhood. The music evokes a feeling of warmth in my heart and transforms my perception of time and space. Layering of quilts brings comfort to a southern holiday. The warm candle lit windowsills illuminate the paths of all who pass by.
Noticing what moves us in the holiday season can help us discover the moments that matter most to us, and maybe inspire the ordinary wisdom we seek.
Wishing you all a holiday season filled with moments to be noticed and cherished.
Be well,
Kathy
Kathy Donchak
I write about nature, family, creativity, and wellbeing.
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