Woke up late. L. watched football games until midnight, and I used PBS passport to catch up on missed episodes of Masterpiece Theatre. With later sunrise, we are rising later as well. And does it even matter?
So, it was a rush to get on zoom for church discussion and worship. And, of course, intentions for the New Year were part of the message, intention being the word to inspire deeper reflection than resolution. So, what are my intentions for what I hope will be a better year? I went back to what I had written in January 2020 in an exercise choosing my word for the year. The word I chose then was “treasure” …both as a noun and a verb. Over my desk, on green paper, letter cut outs T R E A S U R E are a daily reminder to intentionally treasure both large and small events, a major accomplishment or the glimpse of a bird on the wing. Treasure relationships, my happiness, good health and security. Oh, what I didn’t know a year ago when I wrote that. But I can’t think of any better focus or intention as 2021 unfolds.
Over our mid-day meal, L. and I enjoyed heightened activity at the bird feeders in the back garden. The house finches are turning a more intense red; I thought I saw the yellow flash of a goldfinch; it appears that cardinals have already found their partners for spring. Our greatest joy comes when members of the woodpecker family come to the suet feeder, both Downys and Red-bellied. Through binoculars we admire their long-toed feet, perfectly adapted to hanging onto the wire suet feeder. And then there are the silly squirrels rummaging at the base of the feeders, feasting on what the hungry birds dump on the ground. The grey ones often chase off a little black guy. (hmmmm)
2:00 PM…the highlight of every Sunday, the phone call from our son. It is always wide ranging, from current events to family activities. We haven’t seen him since a late summer afternoon of canoeing in northern Indiana. He has grown into all a mother could hope for as a husband, father, professional and all-round good citizen, and I miss being with him terribly.
The rest of the afternoon is given over to decisions about holiday decorations. Most years we fly west on Christmas Day for a celebration with my two sisters. We haven’t decorated a Christmas tree for four or five years. This year we broke a self-imposed standard…we put one up at the end of November as we needed as much Christmas as we could manage. Tree 2020 has a gorgeous shape; it has now become a good friend, greeting us each morning as we come down the hall. What fun it was to decorate over several days, reacquainting myself with the tub of ornaments: paper ones made by our kids and grandson, vintage ones from my childhood, glorious glass creations L. bought me over several years, gifts from students. When our parents died, I collected the ornaments I made for gifts in the early years when we were poor. If all goes well this year, we will go west again on Christmas Day. When will we put up a large tree again? And so we decide to postpone the dismantling.
At 7:30 we joined our regular zoom meeting with friends we met in fall 2019 travel to the Balkans. Two couples and a single woman, we live in Georgia, California, and Indiana. Together we toured five countries (Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia), making 20 border crossings, sometimes filing out of the bus to present our passports to officious and bored checkers. We toured the Tunnel of Hope that sustained Sarajevo for three years and stopped at the intersection that ignited WWI. We appreciated the geometric beauty of the roofs of Dubrovnik and the perfectly fitted walls and stone arches of Diocletian’s Palace. The five of us made deeper connections as the days progressed, sharing interesting food, wine, laughter, new experiences and life stories. As the pandemic began, occasional emails led to a zoom visit which we now schedule every two weeks. Each time we meet we relish the prospect of traveling together again when it is safe to do so. The five of us share political philosophies, so much of our discussion focuses on current events. Tonight, we have lots to talk about: the upcoming run-off election in Georgia and the President’s infamous call to Georgia’s Secretary of State. We are optimistic about the former and horrified by the latter. The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot come too soon.
And so another pandemic day ends.