Thoughts from Chickadee Lane

Today’s offering is for those who like winter. If that is not your delight, then maybe skip to a cup of tea. If you happen to live in the Atlantic region I don’t have to tell you that this has been a week of snow! Winter has finally arrived! By the time you read this, you may be shovelling again!   I like winter. I like snow. I love snow blowing. On Monday, it was my delight to crank up the noisy snow blower and head into the snow banks. Of course I have the luxury of not being in a time crunch with an early morning commute. I love the snow blowing in my face. It takes me back to childhood memories of windy PEI, making snow angels, laughing, eating the snow stuck to wool mitts, staying out until we cried with frozen fingers and toes, Mom ‘sweeping us down’ with the straw broom, declaring, “Don’t take that snow inside!”   I like the way the blower digs through the snow. I like the straight edges.   I love the way you can see where you have been. So much of my daily work re...

After two days of rain, ice pellets, snow, freezing rain, and more ice pellets it was wonderful to see the sun yesterday. With the sun shining, the air crisp, it made for a delightful morning walk. So we did. A friend and I went for a winter walk along the twisted country road. It is worth noting that walking along the road where I live is not for the faint of heart. The road is narrow, the hills steep and the traffic fast.   We chatted about a woman we never met in person, yet is made known through story and how her values are reflected in the way her family live their lives.   This ‘mother of ten,’ who raised most of her children as a single mother, was known to often repeat these words from Mark Twain as her life motto:   “Bitterness (acid) does more harm   to the vessel in which it is stored   than on that of which it is poured.” “Now there’s a blog for you,” said my friend.   So here we are.   It is worth repeating:   “Bitterness does more ha...

This week I am pondering language. Yesterday, Wednesday, January 11 was a beautiful day. The air crisp, the sun strong, a light snow dusting covered the land, frost clung to the trees like the ice crystals in the above picture. It was a beautiful day.   On this beautiful day, a group of friends gathered. As Maritimers do, we talked about the weather.   “It’s a beautiful day,” said one. “Yes, but you know… it is going to be nasty tomorrow,” said another. “It has been a beautiful winter with little snow,” said one.   “Yes, but you know we are going to get hit hard… with a bang!” said another.   I thought about that conversation and wonder, what deep message rests within our beings that creates an automatic response of foreboding?   My friend Ivan explains an ancient Celtic legend of ‘little people’ who come to steal things. Apparently, if you said something good, the ‘little people’ would come and steal it away. Since Celtic blood flows through many of our veins, ...

AHA. Tomorrow, January 6 is Epiphany.       A brief Google search reveals how January 6 is a day of many meanings.   In many Christian communities January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany marking the story of the astrologers/wise ones visit with the new born baby Jesus. January 6 marks the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas. In England, January 6 is known as Twelfth Night, while for my friends from Brazil, a Spanish-speaking country, January 6 is known as Día de Los Reyes , usually translated as Three Kings Day. For Eastern Orthodox churches it is Christmas Eve. For some people in Germany, Chalking the Door is an Epiphany house blessing ritual, a visible sign of faith and a welcome to all who come through the door. In parts of Ireland, January 6 marks Nollaig na mBan which translates from Gaelic as Women's Christmas.  The idea is that, due to women having done most the work of the holiday season, they get to put their feet up. In our home January 6 marks the day...

Shifting Shadows Winter Solstice’s Longest Night has passed and for those of us in the northern hemisphere winter officially begins today! Each day forward will bring a few more minutes of daylight as this old tilted Earth once more   miraculously makes another trip around the sun. In one way, winter launches a new year.   For centuries people everywhere have looked toward the sky.   Fisherfolk, farmers, poets and mystics have paused to acknowledge that the season is changing. To mark the occasion, last night I gathered amid candle light for a Longest Night Blue Christmas worship with friends at Harmony United. It was a lovely time to be still, to watch, to listen, to be. To remember, to shed a tear or two and give thanks. The worship offered space to reflect on the words of Sandy Tomkos: “The winter solstice is the time of ending and beginning, a powerful time - a time to contemplate your immortality. A time to forgive, to be forgiven, and to make a fresh start. A time t...

I read somewhere that a good story doesn’t just copy life it pushes back on it. And so it is with the annual Christmas pageant.   Last Sunday I joined worship with the Long Reach United Church congregation to behold the annual Christmas pageant. It was such fun to experience the old, old story once again. To hold our breath as one of the sheep almost ignited while brushing near the candles. To enjoy a heart felt belly laugh as Jospeh, who would ordinarily be unstoppable, suddenly became Mr. Shy Man. To chuckle with a parent as they took on the role of tax collector. To be in a room filled with awe. While the haloed angel stood before us, angels were everywhere - lending a hand, encouraging the children, surprising everyone with delightful moments of laughter and awe. No matter how many times I experience the ancient story it never gets old. Each time is delightful. Memory dissolves the boundaries of time, taking my imagination through the decades to my childhood and the one room sc...