12/31/2021 - 12th day of Yule, Wassail

"Here we come a-wassailing

Among the leaves so green.

Here we come a-wand'ring

So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,

And to you your wassail too;

May the gods bless you and

Send you a happy New Year!"

traditional English New Year song

There will ever be a part of me that 

yearns to have been there, done that 

in those olde days of yesteryear.

Still, somewhere 'mongst the trickle 

down effect, we have similar customs 

in today's world.

Even now we go to holiday parties 

where there is plenty of wassail, 

spiced ale and/or mulled wine. And,

perhaps those souls willing to brave

the elements will go a-wassailing,

singing fave holiday tunes, from

door to door.

Tonight's Wassail ends those infamous

12 days of Yule. I have much enjoyed

delving into the English history and

learning all about them. Pray have 

your own wondrous Wassail this New

Year's Eve and if you're up to braving 

the cold, a-wassailing you shall go!

let us celebrate

hard times demand hard measures

not to be beaten

12/30/2021 - 11th day of Yule, Perseverance

"Perseverance is persistence in

doing something despite difficulty

or delay in achieving success."

Webster's Dictionary

Can't help but wonder if the word

perseverance means the same to

everyone?! A sweet little word that

works for me is, sticktoitiveness,

albeit a real word or not.

Methinks that all good teachers try

to instill this trait in their students.

Now by teacher, I mean all those

who actually exemplify the word . . . 

parents, sibs, friends, neighbors.

Bottom line . . . sticking to those 

things you've committed to doing, 

honoring perseverance . . . is

incredibly important to me, as well

as anyone of honor.

Good idea to choose wisely that with

which you'll honor your perseverance.

For me, it's good relationships with 

my children, maintaining good quality

friendships, living in a way never to

make me ashamed.

It matters, it truly matters . . . to honor 

that which is important, sticking to the

commitments we've made, holding up

our end of the stick!

personal honor

isnt that what its about 

living with myself

12/29/2021 - 10th day of Yule, Self-reliance

"Dare to live the life you have 

dreamed for yourself. Go forward 

and make your dreams come true."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I grew up in the tail end of the era

in which women were subservient 

to men. I was incredibly fortunate

as my mother was college educated

and worked for the Atomic Energy

Commission for thirty odd years.

She didn't have a single subservient

bone in her body! My shero!

And thusly, self-reliance was born.

My mom would have crowned my

ass had she ever caught me doing 

the whole bow down and worship

thing!

So, how does one instill said virtue

in our children and young people? 

Comes to me that it must be through 

positive role modeling. Example;

priceless!

I pray I can ever live in a self reliant

manner without being inappropriate

in any way. We owe it to our youth

to demonstrate standing on our own

two feet in the most positive of ways.

stand up with courage

must face life with backbone staunch

i can and i will

12/28/2021 - 9th day of Yule, Industry

"To industry, nothing is impossible."

Latin Proverb

I find myself tempted to scream, "Oh

my God, my mother has risen from 

the grave!"

Growing up, the word, industry, may

have been one of her faves if not the

absolute fave! And, in all fairness,

she was one of the most industrious

people I would ever encounter in my

entire lifetime; a mentor to emulate!

I've come to recognize that for her,

any moment wasted on the idle, 

was slothfulness to her. I bet you

never guessed that slothfulness is

a four-letter word!

Here I am, nigh onto a 100 years

old, and I can still see her looking 

over my shoulder admonishing me, 

get busy or laziness will conquer.

Near the end of my own days, I

suppose I've formed some of my 

own ideas. I do believe that industry 

is of supreme importance. I also get

that times of relaxation, moments

of pondering, are also of great

value! 

Interestingly enough, I don't think 

for a moment that mom was trying 

to rob me of such. It's just that she 

valued achievement and believed

this would not only serve me well,

but also keep me out of trouble.

Sooooo, industry it is, my lads and

lasses . . . get on with whatever is

important to you and all will be well.

am busy busy

heaven by another name

it has to matter

12/27/2021 - 8th day of Yule, Discipline

"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; 

the sense of dignity grows with the ability 

to say no to oneself." ~A.J. Heschel

Discipline is a hard one at best . . . 

Methinks none of us have relished it

any time 'twixt and 'tween childhood 

and adulthood. Yet, seems to me that

once we became adults, we felt the

rules no longer applied!

Everywhere I look, discipline comes

to visit! It's required in running a good

home, maintaining a successful business, 

keeping a loving relationship, rearing

wonderful children! And I would deem,

with positive outcomes, we don't tend

to resent said discipline too much.

But, how about that wretched word when

it comes to sticking to a diet?! Saving our

shekels, washing the car and cleaning the

damn house?! I see myself frowning even

as I write the words!

It comes to me that one is never too old

to face discipline head on, do the duties,

if only to feel good afterwards! Ouch!

That doesn't sound very mature, does it?

Bottom line . . . we ARE never too old to

discipline ourselves; guess we just need

to bite the bullet! 

making the effort

dont really want to grow up

will if i have to

12/26/2021 - 7th day of Yule, Hospitality

"Nothing is more noble, nothing

more venerable than fidelity.

Faithfulness and truth are the most

sacred excellences and endowments

of the human mind."

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

We have only just been introduced

to a supreme example of hospitality.

Coming to enjoy the grandchildren

for x-mas . . . and finding the kids

are moving! I am sooooo not joking;

moving! We knew it was coming up, 

just didn't realize it was x-mas day 

weekend!

Imagine what it must be like to prep

a move for a family of six in just a 

few days and have to accommodate

grandparents whilst so busy?! I add,

the kids were nothing but loving in 

every way!

Frankly, rather reminds me of a Maya

Angelou quote, "People will forget 

what you said. They will forget what 

you did. But, they will never forget 

how you made them feel."

Hospitality matters! In my twenty

years in Mexico, I witnessed what

the true face of hospitality looks

like! Found myself ever amazed 

at every turn!

Bottom line though, the gift of

hospitality needs to be freely

given to those approaching one's

door! In this day and age and all

the existing horrors, it's a scary

thing to do! Still, if one cares,

all must be tried!

call it what it is

lets be nice to each other

hospitality

Merry everything and a happy always!

WritersAfterDark

12/25/2021 - 6th Day of Yule, Fidelity

I grew up with the word fidelity as

part of a sound system for record

players. The advert, High Fidelity,

comes to mind. 

'Twas living in Mexico for 20 years 

where I came to understand its true 

meaning . . . faithful. Not a word

one particularly hears bandied about

today.

So I'm thinking, what would make

fidelity or faithful, more meaningful?

Many a couple hold the concept of 

faithfulness dear to their hearts. Just 

take a look at divorce rates if you're 

in doubt. 

On the other end of the stick, pun

intended, there are many faithful

pets in our homes. The fidelity of

dogs has been touted for centuries.

Sooooo love the stories about them.

Perhaps, there's a kind of fidelity

we've lost sight of . . . 'twould be

the faithfulness we owe ourselves.

We could ask . . . 

What do I believe in, am I faithful 

to that belief? What characteristics 

matter so much to me that I would 

fight for them? Am I faithful in love, 

in friendship, to the people I feel for, 

in the causes that matter to me?

Hard call . . . we believe, we care! 

But, we're tired, we have too many 

responsibilities.  What to do? A good

look at our priorities . . . sort them

out. Which ones are worth being

faithful to? Methinks it matters!

faithfulness matters

says much about who we are

tis a kind of trust

12/24/2021 - 5th Day of Yule, Honor

There are quotes that come to mind

when the word honor is brought up.

"Honor thy father and thy mother

that thy days may be long upon the

earth." Ex. 20:12 . . . And of course,

"Honor among thieves," along with 

its own lurid history.

I have always understood that honor

is important; hugely important! I

often heard my father referred to as,

"a man of honor." I know this meant

a great deal to him. We all know that

person about whom this can be said.

We get it!

I believe the way one treats others

directly reflects the honor one 

possesses.  This is truly important

to me; I certainly hope this will 

always be so!

A new year is soon approaching,

so obviously, we're all thinking

about those things in which we 

wish to do better. I am certainly

going to pay attention to honor.

This matters . . .

"Honor is a gift man gives himself."

~Ricky Gervais

as my father lived

longing to live with honor

so matters to me

12/23/2021 - 4th Day of Yule, Truth

"Say not, I have found the truth,

but rather, I have found a truth.

~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Truth! The word makes me

tremble! 

Obviously, there has to be some

kind of universal truth that we all

try to understand and adhere to.

Doubt very much if we have any,

The earth is flat peeps left!

I think where it breaks down, may

be in our individual belief systems.

Each person believes the way they

see fit, that which makes sense to

them, and nothing can sway them

from it. Surely then, this means that 

said beliefs are each person's truth! 

Then, there are those who would

argue that partial truths are not 

truths at all. Most likely there's a

reason why one must swear in

court to, "tell the truth, the whole

truth and nothing but the truth."

What about people's feelings?

When asked, "Do you like my

new hat?" Would you say, "No,

I don't really care for it." Or,

would it be better to say, "It's

really quite interesting. Where

did you ever find it?" 

Methinks, we are all enamored

with the idea of truth. However,

I imagine we all harbor different

feelings regarding exact meanings!

pray dont lie to me

only the truth serves me well

god that was painful

12/22/2021 - 3rd Day of Yule, Courage

On the third day of Yule, we honor

and celebrate Courage. Methinks we

all know there is more to courage

than meets the naked eye, to coin a

phrase! I like Pauline Clynch's view 

on the subject!

Six Types of Courage

Physical - Keep going with resiliency,

balance and awareness.

Social - Be yourself unapologetically.

Moral - Do the right thing even when

it's uncomfortable or unpopular.

Emotional - Feel all your emotions,

both positive and negative, without

guilt or attachment. 

Intellectual - Learn, unlearn and 

relearn with an open and flexible 

mind. 

Spiritual - Live with purpose and 

meaning through a heart centered 

approach towards all life and oneself.

I find there are days I can do some 

of these and others, alas I flounder. 

We would all wish to be courageous. 

'Tis in our nature to strive for it. I can 

not help but wonder what it is that

inspires us to be courageous.

Obviously, our children come first

to mind. We long, nay need . . . 

to exemplify it for them. No one likes 

to appear weak in front of our spouses, 

family and friends. The time honored 

question, how to achieve this?!

I find meditation to be an answer to 

most of my own issues. If I can just

slow down, both physically and 

mentally, give some proper thought

to things, I can usually come up 

with an answer. And then, ask the

higher power for the needed strength 

to be courageous.

I pray we all find it as we need it . . .

pray give me courage

life hands out difficulties

need to pass the tests

12/21/2021 - 2nd Day of Yule

Yule has finally arrived . . . just like

a little kid, I thought it never would

come! I love all the names; Yuletide,

Yule, Winter Solstice, and of course, 

'tis first day of Winter.

Today, we will be celebrating Mother

Earth and the changes she brings to

the table with our Winter season. I

also enjoy that we celebrate it for

twelve days rather than just the one.

My guy will help me make a Yule

log today. We will enjoy it each of

the 12 days and then burn it on the

12th day of Yule. I have had some

so gorgeous that it nigh onto breaks

my heart to burn them.  Don't tell

anyone, but I've cheated a couple

of times and stowed them away!

And, not to forget our song; we're

the only ones who celebrate the

12 days of Yuletide.

On the first day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the third day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

Ten lords a leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Yuletide

My true love sent to me

eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Yuletide

My truelove sent to me

Twelve drummers drumming

eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a leaping

Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five golden rings

Four calling birds

Three french hens

Two turtle-doves

And a partridge in a pear tree

~Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen

12/20/2021 - 1st Day of Yule

I find myself having to admit that I

might actually enjoy all these holiday

celebrations! Sooooo didn't see that

one coming!

I fear, I sin on the side of being a

homebody, as it were. Actually have

friends who make that extra effort

to drag me out of my comfort zone!

Once I get out and about, I begin 

to enjoy the upcoming adventure,

whatever it may be. Methinks 'tis

called, going with the flow! All this

adds up to a bit of fresh air, new

sites, fun happenings and delightful

encounters. I sense a lesson coming

on here!

I'm feeling a new year's resolution 

presenting itself. Perhaps, I need to 

think in the realm of getting my ass 

out and about from time to time. Just 

think of all the mischief I could get 

myself into!

Feel free to make suggestions to this

almost new and improved me . . .

Well, surely I don't have to give in

right away!!! Home is such a lovely

place to be . . .

homes where the heart is

feel free to come and join me

lucky to feel thus

12/19/2021

December is nigh onto two thirds gone;

I would have to ask, "Where the hell did

it go?!"

Perhaps it has something to do with the

flurry of cleaning, decorating, shopping, 

gift wrapping or standing in line at the

post office for two hours . . . preparing 

in general!

Then it seems, as gifts are delivered,

visits made and foods eaten, we can

hardly wait to get everything put away

and let the preps for the new year begin!

Alas, I feel a loony-tuney coming on.

This year, I am determined to enjoy

each and every day, all presents, our

little tree and drop in visits. I am NOT

going to allow myself any kind of rush!

I'm not even going to put away my

paltry decor until the first week in Jan!

 . . . and not to forget, this week is

supposed to be warmer than the five 

degrees we woke up to yesterday!

Here's to a Happy Decembrering!

loving me this month

so enjoy every day

no hurry to end