I love the quietness of late December. Time to just relax and spend time indoors, dreaming about gardens and planning animal husbandry changes. Time to start new handwork projects, too. It’s a bit odd this year, though, because I ought to be feeling a babe moving by now in my womb. I partly blame myself; I checked my hormone levels “just in case” and began immediately on a wild yam cream because my progesterone levels were in the tank. Well, I’ve since found out that wild yam isn’t going to cut it, and furthermore…..I discovered black cohosh in the ingredient list! That is a herb used to stimulate the uterus! I felt defeated when I found out, because I *know better*. I’ve used and played with herbs long enough. But sometimes mistakes just happen. Sometimes lessons are hard.

My husband decided not to relist our house for sale, because at this point we’d come out with meager change to sell it. It feels like a disappointment; the road to debt-free living was cut short. We feel we made a mistake in taking on a mortgage, and now we’re stuck with it. Again, lessons aren’t always pleasant.

But what is pleasant still are the little things of the day: lentil-barley stew on the stovetop, sourdough bread rising on the counter, the kitty curled by my feet, letters in the mail. The cuckoo clock tick-tocking. Handwork. A hot cup of herbal tea held between my palms. The bubbling joy of my children and rubbing their chilled hands when they come in from the cold. My husband’s strength and his integrity to always do what is right in going forward.

I’m grateful for the pleasant things. They seem so humble but because they are God’s blessings, the troubles and mistakes are robbed a bit of their volume. Peace on earth, indeed.

Blessings,