It is the second night of Hanukkah and, just after midnight tonight, it will be Winter Solstice also. Three days from now it will be Christmas Eve and four days from now Christmas Day.
What a powerful, magical moment in our year wheel. Despite the dreariness of this day in Tallahassee, I'm feeling the mojo of these special, important holidays lining up this way.
This has been such a transitional year for me. Going online with an Etsy shop and Facebook fan page was a new step for me. I can't report overwhelming numbers, but I'm pleased with what I hope will become the beginning of a new way of selling my art jewelry.
The most wonderful development in my online life is my new global community! Daily, I 'chat' with dear new friends in Hong Kong, Sweden, Greece, Canada, Australia, Brittain, Israel, and all over the U.S. I have already learned so much from each of them, and have had so much fun. My 'award of the year' goes to online virtual communities who support fellow friends and artists, sharing what they know so freely.
On the homefront, I've watched my elderly parents march up to the edge of mortality a little bit more than in the past. At 87, they've lived here in Tallahassee again for the past 5 years. 89% of the credit for their good care must go to my younger sister. She lives with them (and her husband) in a large home in my city. My elder son and I pitch in with discreet but critical help (shopping, feeding, time spent, help with decision making, etc.).
After 5 blessed years of a mostly slow, imperceptible decline, their decline is suddenly speeding up. We do not know what the new year holds for us. We are an aging family! Our youngest will soon be 23, but our other child turned 31. Life looks and feels different now.
I know I will continue to make my art jewelry. I'm just getting good at it! Just figuring out what I want to make that will sell. I plan to explore that more in 2012. I plan to enjoy my new friendships (and my old ones, too). I plan to be here for my family members. And to embrace the coming of 2012 with open arms.
Pictured above are my funky, folky sterling Christmas Tree earrings. They're available in my Etsy shop, which you can reach by clicking on the tab at the top of my blog page.
