Solstice?  Really?  The heat is on, I’ve been wearing sweaters again, and the sun could be shining 24/7 and we wouldn’t know it for the cloud layer.  We’re talking WOOL HATS  people!

I like whining about the weather.  It’s bonding, cathartic, fun, annoying, petty, I should really give it up, I can’t  give it up.  (You would be whining too if you lived here! )

But just in case you’re wondering, I DO realize that Helios, Mother Nature, Apep, Ra and powers I have never even imagined are ALL  laughing at me and waiting for me to wake up.

Wake up and remember how I understand the meaning of  Namaste:

The light in me sees the light in you.

which is to say

Maybe endless winter = an extra chance to find and celebrate that light within.  It’s there.  It’s here.  Trust it.

And till then,there’s smores in the fireplace to keep us happy.

ps -has anyone seen my mittens?

windy

but warm

skin alive with forecasted lightening

call hedgehog pine cone.

end of sixth grade party by the lake

late lilacs bow and sway

with heavy scent you know but will not find

beneath campfire smoke in sweatshirt,

towels, hair.

what’s left?

each raindrop pinning me to time and place

right pupil wide

(are you closer than 3 feet?  I cannot see you)

slit lamp examination in the dark

the answers brilliant shapes I know

I should cry but all I think of is

how far this goes beyond the range of film.

–adjective.

Just finished a quilt for a high school senior from our church. Spent a lot of time sewing stitches in, ripping stitches out, poking myself with quilting pins, and thinking.  Thinking about what what advice I could give to someone just starting college, what advice I wish someone had given me.  I considered:

the practical

• get an internship (or two or three)
• don’t be afraid to visit your professors during office hours
• fruit loops go surprisingly well with cheap beer

 
the wistful

• be careful with your heart
• appreciate every moment
• know that someday you will cry with longing when you remember endless hours of napping studying in beautiful libraries

 
even the very simple

• always respect yourself
• always be kind
• never do anything you’ll regret

 
but in the end, the only advice I can offer is

• you will make mistakes
• good friends will bandage you up when you get hurt…try to do the same for them
• know you are loved

 
That last one is the best, and I don’t even get to claim credit for it.  It’s right there on the label that goes on every quilt handed out:

May this quilt bring you comfort as it reminds you that you are loved.

Oh, and I’m serious about the fruit loops. ♥

what’s your advice?