Coffee, Chaos and Cuss Words

This is my end-of-the-year contribution to Kallan Kennedy's Sunday Stew. Please go check out the rest of the fabulous chefs over at  The Secret Life of the American Witch! “Tradition is a fragile thing in a culture built entirely on the memories of the elders.” Alice Albinia When the year comes to a close, I find myself saying ‘Good riddance! Out with the Old; In with the New!’  Following almost every Yule /Winter Solstice, I feel giddy with the promise of the return to lighter and brighter days. The end of a year contains the anticipation of a blank slate and a fresh start. Each year we break out the new wall calendars with their pretty pictures to motivate us. Last year at home we had ‘Cats and Kittens’; this year we have ‘Dark Literary Classics’ and at work, I have ‘The Witches Calendar’. It’s a little tradition we follow to mark the passage of days by replacing one themed calendar each year for a new one. That thought led me to consider other traditions that we have. There are

We're almost at the Finish Line for 2013, aren't we? Looking back over the year that was holds little in the way of fond memories. It has been a difficult year, and I need to acknowledge what I went through from its beginning, to see where the end of this year has brought me. I am still here...with more support and friendship than I could ever have imagined. A year that has shown me more about what I am capable of than any other time in my life. Here, I take a last look at 2013...reflect on the events that have come to shape my here, my now and guide my footsteps onward... January- Still reeling from the loss of my Mom on October 19, 2012. Channeled all my pain and love into looking after Dad, who lost his wife of 48 years. We're all numb but my focus is him...my Dad...and I'm going to take care of him as much as he'll let me. I live almost 2 hours from him, yet the sibs within 15 minutes of him have 'stepped back'. We have Sunday breakfasts and I go up duri

Blessed Yule!!! Welcome back to the Light friends! I had taken a little bit of a break from writing for awhile. As the year is coming to a close and the winter holidays are upon us, I have had more pressing issues to contend with. I am still mourning the loss of my parents and this holiday season is particularly difficult for me. However, when I am troubled I always rely on the Goddess and I have been busy with much meditation and self-reflection. In working through grief and reflecting on the year now passing, I have found much inspiration to guide and sustain me.  My dear friend, Kallan Kennedy, has honored me by including me again as one of the contributors for her amazing blog-The Sunday Stew- at  The Secret Life of the American Witch!  Here you will find my contribution for the special Yule/ Winter Solstice edition. Please be sure to go to Kallan's blog and read all the articles from those wonderful chefs and let their wit and wisdom nourish your spirit. artist unknown “The li