winter's gifts

 

gifts of winter

december 19, 2010

dear friends!! my wish ~ may these winter days bring you warmth, love, and peace. as we gather at the teahouse near the river, let us linger over cups of fragrant icewine tea and consider the words of the poet...

~
Awake

Waking today
just before winter
when I try to name the color of grasses,
how I feel of their beauty,
there is no word.
I think of the time before there were words
when you would know morning mist by the feel
of your loved one's skin and hair,
and when someone came from the forest of dry leaves
you would know by their scent
even if they carried no wood.
Or the heat of their body skin in summer.
Or if they came the winding way
down from the mountains
they would be covered in cloud
returning to the fold
or if they had gone farther, to the ocean,
you'd know them by their far-seeing eyes,
and when some travelers return
and are shining with light
you know, without saying, that they have been
in touch with other worlds.
I have no wealth to speak of
other than this,
all this, just to praise the dry grasses
and their colors that can't be spoken in words.

~Linda Hogan

(from the spring 2005 issue of parabola)

may all beings be happy ~*
may all beings be healthy ~*
may all beings be safe ~*
may all beings be free ~*

and remembering tea and friends...

icewine.tea (his & hers) on flickr

may all travelers find joy!!
and love beyond words at christmastime...
jeanne