Stain-glass Eyes

January can be a difficult month for me. The minimum amount of sunlight is a factor. Another part is having my birthday right after the holidays.      To celebrate my birthday sometimes feels like it’s just a comma rather than an exclamation point. And my late husband and I were married on my birthday, which gives the date less of a bounce, now he’s gone. When 2020 hit and my birthday came, the attention and surprises I received warmed my heart (and shattered my resolve to hate my birthday). It didn’t matter the sky was gray. It didn’t matter it rained instead of snowed. The significance was the display of love I received. Whether love was wrapped up in a gift for me. Or sent by text. Regardless if it was a card I got in the mail. What mattered most was I felt loved. Sounds simple. But it was very powerful.   I share my birthday month with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s a holiday I look forward to after my birthday. I feel like it’s been a

A Nest in Plain Sight I appreciate the beauty of winter. I understand it can be hard when walking becomes more dangerous or when it’s impossible to regulate the body’s warmth, (especially when there’s a good wind blowing) but I like the challenge of the change of season .   I have friends and family that say, “What’s so good about winter?” Or they say things against winter I won’t repeat here.   Winter is a season of dormancy for most of nature and us. The lack of daylight time and treacherous driving conditions make us less active. I fight it. I refuse to be hostage to winter. I try to have things to do after it gets dark or wear myself out by nightfall. Then it's easier to sit and do more sedate things. It feels less forced when I have choices. Easy-to-See Wasp's Nest  Lately I’ve been thinking up new perspectives I could have about winter. I love the snow and the cold, but there’s much more to the season than that. Maybe it's my way of