Meg Evans

As the winter solstice draws near, staying cheerful doesn’t always come naturally. The lack of sunshine can leave us subconsciously feeling as if all the light has drained out of the world. Our ancestors dealt with such feelings by lighting candles and bonfires as symbols of longer and happier days to come, a tradition that has carried over into our modern-day Christmas decorations. This morning I put a sparkly purple Christmas tree animation on the art display in my dining room.

The star on top twinkles while other small stars appear and then fade slowly around the tree, like fireworks, cheering up an area on the north side of the house that is otherwise dark and still for much of the day. Wishing you lots of fun sparkly things to brighten your home too!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Christmas may be bright and merry, but it’s also the season when many of us have tasks to finish up at work before going on vacation for the rest of the year. That can get us stressed out, especially if we are rushing around buying presents and making holiday plans. Something is bound to go wrong.

When a problem does come up, we should keep in mind that in all likelihood, it’s not going to be that hard to fix. Most of the time it’s just a minor annoyance, not a catastrophe—and we should plan to relax and enjoy the holidays anyway!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Dealing with problems doesn’t necessarily mean working on them right away. Often it’s more effective to slow down and consider the alternatives. But because the modern world is so busy and competitive, not solving a problem quickly can get uncomfortable—it brings up all sorts of old anxieties about wasting time, not knowing what to do, and being a failure. So, instead of calmly looking at the situation and realizing that there are many possibilities, people are likely to overlook all but the most obvious solutions and to pick one without giving it much thought.

Taking time to consider possible solutions, rather than doing whatever comes to mind first, is not really wasteful. It leads to a calmer and more productive mindset in dealing with problems generally, and it’s likely to have much better results than hurrying to do something right now.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

With so much changing all around us in the busy modern world, on Thanksgiving we feel glad for the things that stay constant—family, friends, and the small comforts of home. There is much to appreciate in the random things, as well. Instead of trying to plan everything in detail and then getting stressed when it doesn’t all work out, sometimes we do better just to go with the flow and discover what comes along.

Two years ago, I wanted to buy an angel for the top of my family’s Christmas tree. We had been putting different ornaments at the top each year—a star, a dove, a sun—but we never had an old-fashioned angel. I looked at several stores, getting frustrated when I couldn’t find what I had in mind. When I browsed online, I gave up after wading through many pages of angel ornaments that just didn’t look right.

I brought some old stuff from my basement to donate at a nearby thrift store on Tuesday. I wasn’t thinking about angels at all when, after a quick glance at a shelf of holiday decorations, I noticed this regal figure looking back at me as if bestowing blessings:

She’ll make a lovely addition to the Christmas tree when we set it up this weekend! And in the spirit of the season, another random thing I came across last week is a blog with a random acts of kindness generator that suggests good deeds for the day. The more kindness there is to go around, the merrier!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Sometimes we just need to take a breath and set aside everything else for the moment, not only in our individual lives, but also as a community.

These small moments, although they may not seem like much at the time, can open up the space we need for the larger changes to take hold.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Although my husband and I are not Catholic, we sent our kids to Catholic schools because of the good values and habits taught there. One point of emphasis was demonstrating that actions have natural consequences. Our son found that out in the spring of his sixth-grade year when he got bored with the math homework, which he already knew, and calculated that he could just skip doing it for the rest of the term and still be passed on to seventh grade.

When the principal found out about that, she made him spend the first week of summer vacation coming into the office every morning and sitting in a chair next to her desk while he worked through all that homework, which she inspected every day to make sure it was complete. The lesson he took away from that experience was well worth all the tuition in itself.

The rule of natural consequences also holds true in the realm of politics. Without getting into the merits of anyone’s views or goals as to particular issues in American politics, I’ll simply say that this might be a time when we collectively need to learn a few lessons the hard way regarding the calculations and shortcuts taken to accomplish those goals.

I am hopeful that after a few years of dealing with the natural consequences of a fractured political landscape sadly lacking in values, we’ll ultimately come out of all this as a better people.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

As this year’s political campaign season in the United States draws to a close (mercifully), I’ve seen far fewer yard signs and bumper stickers than in past years. In part, that is because people don’t feel as enthusiastic about the candidates; but there also seems to be some anxiety about not upsetting neighbors who have different views. While there’s something to be said for avoiding arguments and turning down the volume on politics, people shouldn’t be so worried that they are afraid to say anything.

We’ve also had a lot of anxiety in the workplace in recent years because of the unsettled economy. Workers don’t want to change jobs and take risks. Young people are afraid to borrow money for education because they can’t be sure of getting a job when they graduate. Everything looks scary. Often we don’t want to take chances by doing something different; it’s safer to stay quiet.

Although taking the path of least resistance may seem prudent, we also need to consider how much is lost by just blending in and avoiding risks.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Yesterday my mom and stepfather, who live in another state, came to town for a visit. We had lunch and chatted for a while afterward, catching up on what everyone had been doing recently. They brought a nice set of flowerpots, which my mom said she thought I might like for growing herbs in the spring.

Afterward I thought about how fortunate I am to have a family that enjoys pleasant visits together. As this amusing bit of word-art I came across recently illustrates, not everyone is so lucky:

People often take family relationships for granted, not really thinking about whether they are bringing happiness to their family members. But just as with growing herbs or flowers, cultivation and loving care are needed for a family to flourish. I hope that as I grow older, my visits will be appreciated too!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

October mostly has been warm and sunny here, but last night a thunderstorm blew in and cooled things off. This morning it looked much more typical of this time of year—cool, damp, and cloudy. When I stepped outside, though, I noticed some new color in the front garden to balance the dark sky. Solid green hosta leaves had turned—overnight, it seemed—to a bright, cheerful mix of yellow, green, and brown.

Don’t they look as if they just put on their party dresses and are ready for dancing and fun?

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Sometimes when things don’t seem to change much from one day to another, it can be hard to stay optimistic. When we don’t see immediate results, we might start to wonder if anything we do is making a difference or if it’s just wasted effort.

When that happens, we need to remember that the most majestic accomplishments often come from tiny, incremental changes.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.