Family Christmas

The past few years, since Littletree and I went through a major shift in our lives, we've been celebrating Christmas. Just quietly, in our own way. The last two years we went down to spend the holiday with my family in South Australia, but that wasn't possible this year, so we created our own special family here at home.

Littletree got involved with the google+ Secret Santa, which was awesome

We created a geeky Christmas "tree" -a binary tree made of coat hangers in a tree formation hung with manila file folders and decorated with broken tech - old USB cables, wonky gadgets, broken ADSL splitters - our 'Angel' was Andy the Android and of course we added a TARDIS.

Gifts we kept simple - of course a few sneaky treats for Littletree from Doctor Who (because we don't believe in Santa)

 

Naturally, every time Littletree wasn't looking, "The Doctor" popped by with his TARDIS and left another little present

 

We kept it simple with gifts; aside from her much appreciated Secret Santa hoard of Doctor Who merchandise and Art supplies, Littletree got a portable bluetooth speaker from me and Shark Girl

I gave Shark Girl a gift that was more shark wrapping than actual gift, and Littletree gave her a book about sharks with an altered book cover that she'd made herself

 

And Littletree and Shark Girl together got me the most incredible gift - a really nice Android Tablet :) Which is super cool and replaces the old iPad that I won back in 2010 (amazingly the 5 year old iPad still 'works' but thanks to Apple's stupid closed system, the device is completely obsolete and unusable - ironic to turn it on and find that it can't update anything and most apps aren't supported on this "out of date" technology).

I also got a very treasured gift - a friend back in Israel sent me copies of my two favourite picture books that we always travelled with and that I read to Littletree every day when she was small. I lost our original copies under sad circumstances, and I missed them very much. So it feels extra special to get these; even if only for nostalgic reasons. And I'm teaching Littletree to read more in Hebrew.

The three of us all hand-painted little singlets for the fresh baby our new housemates had (he's 6 weeks old now!)

And we had a few good friends around for an awesome barbecue. Simple, delicious. Fun times!

     

Summer solstice

The longest day of the year.
We light a fire to mark the ceremony, cleansing. Wine for the blood, incense fire for the air, the spring flowing.
We let go of all the things that don't serve us, we let go the bonds that hold us.
I cast off the hooks that lying, manipulating abusers have tried to control me with.
They have no power over me.
I take back my strength and I stand in my truth and power.

And so the seasons change, and I grow and heal. Reclaiming myself.

Merry solstice

Fallow Ground

In farming, there is a practise known as letting a field stand fallow - where the land is given a year to 'rest' in between cultivating crops.
In the Jewish tradition, farmers leave the fields fallow every seventh year, known as shmita - this allows the soil to rejuvenate.
And so with the soul, sometimes there is a need for a fallow year; a time of rest and rejuvenation, allowing the spirit to regain strength.

We let the forest grow wild

And then the rains come to wash away all the collected detritus of the soul; the hurt, the pain, the challenges one must traverse in the journey of life is washed away.

Seasons come and seasons go. Time changes everything.
And then it's time to wake, blossom from the cocoon
 

I become a butterfly, the me who survived. The one left standing in the butterfly graveyard of all the parts crushed and shed, destroyed and broken down.



In that process, one day it's time to wake up and clear some space. Take back what's mine and clear the garden.



In the strongest of storms, sometimes there is nothing you can do but let the wind tear you apart, let the rains scour you clear, and finally, when the sun shines,  begin to pick up the pieces, repair the damage, and learn to live in the new landscape



It is a new path I walk; a new landscape, new beginnings, new horizons, new dawn. 

It's okay to be broken - it's good for the soul to take some time for fallow fields, only to begin anew; a butterfly.

I will never hide again. I will not live in fear.
I am a butterfly.