End of the holiday

Today is the last day of the Christmas holiday.  I've had such a nice break from work and Selim has enjoyed his time away from school.  But tomorrow we hop back on the treadmill of regular life and resume our normal schedule.  At least the tree is down and the house (minus the unpacked overnight bags) is restored to a less festive state.

Some of the highlights of our time have included: skating on Hermit Lake.  We went twice.  The first time without ice skates and the second time with.  The lake seemed so beautiful to me.  It was hard for Selim when he put on ice skates for the first time in two years.  But he had a hockey stick and that helped him with balance.  By the end of the morning, he was moving more confidently and was having a good time.  I think I should get some skates.  I used to be pretty competent and it would be good exercise.  This year with the lack of snow, we may have more opportunities to skate than sled or ski.

I love taking pictures of Selim.  Unfortunately, he is tired of that.  I'm trying to make sure I document when I can.  When he is asleep, I get to snap away to my heart's content.

The day after Christmas Schongalla gathering is so much fun.  The only people missing from this years gathering were Heather and her family and Nils.  Otherwise, it was a full house.  Selim is very comfortable with everybody and he makes his way from one group to another.  It is sweet for me to see how all the bigger people enjoy him and pay attention to him.  The cookies and fudge plates looked nice and seemed to go over well.  Next year I will have to plan better and bring something else as this year we were about the only ones that didn't have jam, honey or bread to pass out.

I didn't get around to sewing any quilt squares, but I did spend down time reading, drinking tea, in conversation with friends and family.  I enjoyed the sunrise over the field at the Ashram.  I sang a bhajan with Mom that served as a lullaby to Selim and that felt special.  I managed to get into the Hall and listen to Satsang.  And I feel like I was in conversation about the Master power more than usual.  I think this July will be the 15th anniversary of Sant Ji's passing and I am ready to be pulled towards his disciple who did the work and is ready to carry on the mission.  I want Selim to have the opportunity to meet the new manifestation of Grace.

I haven't made New Years resolutions in a long time.  But maybe I should consider reorienting myself back to some semblance of discipleship.  I sing bhajans with Selim every now and then, but that is about the extent of my practice.  I'm always grateful for the time that I get in the Hall when I'm at the Ashram, but once a month does not make for steady progress.