It all started with the words…from that song…by Leonard Cohen. I heard the phrase, “tea and oranges”…and it all shifted…the way I have been feeling for the past month, or maybe even more.

Stifled is the best way I can think to put it. Stifled in my mind, in my heart, in my words. In fact, I just couldn’t put much of anything of what I was feeling into words. I just felt stuck in an icky puddle of seasonal depression…it’s just how I tend to get this time of year…but this year felt more extreme…much deeper.

I’m sure some of the life changes occurring over here have some sorta impact, but try as I might to stay positive…it still seeps in sometimes. That’s life.

But, back to those words…tea and oranges. They got me thinking about something new and something fresh. Sometimes when I don’t come into this space, on this blog, I feel like I’m abandoning myself, my thoughts, or something that I need to be facing. I tend to be a runner in more ways than one, but I always try my best to stay real…and if I can’t find the words to share how I feel then I don’t. The thing of it is, that I came to realize… after letting my presence in this space go for a bit…is that maybe I don’t need the words. Maybe I don’t need to spend the time searching and toiling over what they are. Instead…I can choose to let them be what I feel…for me and my experience to go through…and leave it at that. So I did…and that felt really good.

But I’m still here…and back to those words once again… tea and oranges. They reminded me in some weird sorta way, that I am who I am, and there’s no need to go outside of that to find something else. The light has emerged both outside and within and it’s all good. Hallelujah!

And in case you are wondering…those cookies pictured up there, are these cookies, and are a must try (gotta love that Heidi!)! We, of course, made them gluten free (and with “healthy” candy canes).

And, yes, my daughter knit that cute little lion, all by herself, as a gift for the littlest boy in our house for Christmas…and he loves it!

I’m going to be spending some more time offline, working on some new upcoming projects, one being Heather’s Whole Food Kitchen Workshop that I am so honored to be a part of, and the other…is a vision, that I want to leave some space to uphold. Until then…wishing you much peace as we transition into this new year.