I usually buy my bulb when they go on sale at the end of October (if I can remember!). Engage your kids in unpacking the box, soaking up the growing medium and planting the bulb.

The events themselves

I can’t remember,

only the scent of lilac on taffeta,

her warm breath

and the rise and fall of my head

on her bosom.

Hope

is material:

glass and plastic syphoning

salt and secrets into

withered veins;

flesh and fur huddled

by the heater vent

Father, it is only a small cry mingling with the young girl Mary's low moans, the anxious beating of Joseph's heart as he bends close to her, the restless pawing of perplexed animals in the soft dirt. Such a brief sound dropped in the straw, just as Heaven's veil splits open above terrified shepherds hunkered in the night fields with their docile flocks.

Isaiah 60: 19-22

We are the branch of your planting,

grasping the earth

until it is too much with us:

soil on our leaves, arching petals

into cups to hoard the rain.

This year has pushed me to spend more time outside finding respite, solace and hope. I've found that the earth mimics so much of what's going on in our lives. There is so much life in the soil. When a seed is planted in fertile soil, it flourishes and produces amazing fruit for many to enjoy. I've come to realize that Mary, the mother of Jesus was fertile soil for our God to grow and do amazing things in her. It's lead me to contemplate her process of growth.

Lights are dimmed, so candles are lit.

Darkness comes sooner and fades slower

as cold seeps longer.

The Way, 2020, Emily Lindbloom, Felt, cotton, and mixed media on pink linen, 9 x 12 inches

Worn language won’t stick.

Like used duct tape, our repast

chatter cannot fix

what COVID broke. Our politics

a wild animal, escaped,

trampling the vineyard

underfoot. No mulled wine, or

small talk, will tame this boar.

Of course our days are as grounded as they ever were. And as transcendent. We flounder and float as we always did, going between the mundane and the sublime, the street level and the someday-fulfilled Kingdom views.

It all begins with an idea.