Third Day of Christmas

This is the third day of Christmas and the second day of Kwanzaa. It sometimes gets harder on the third day to maintain a Sabbath mentality, but a blanket of snow and freezing temperatures has helped! I am enjoying this extended time of retreat from the norm. Today I continue to rest, reflect, and find peace within.

Agenda:
1. Kwanzaa principles

2. Christmas retreat

3. Creativity reading

4. Creativity goals for 2022

5. End of year work list

1. Kwanzaa principles:

The second day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah), which is self-determination: Thinking for yourself, and deciding what you will say and do with your life.

2. Christmas retreat:

My tradition is to make the 12 Days of Christmas into a mini-retreat for myself. I'm doing some reading and writing every day, focusing on my priorities and what I'm called to do (or not do) next in my life. My plan for the 12 Days:

• Start each morning with meditation, prayer, and reading
• Think about, and set goals for 2022.
• Contemplate, honor, and practice a different one of my life priorities on each of the 12 days.

Today I am honoring Creativity-

What creative ideas do I have to improve my house, my relationships, my faith community, my neighborhood, and my community?

 

How can I use my art and writing to enlighten and project my creative vision into the world? What themes are calling out to me to express this year?

 

How can I use craftivism to spread a message of peace, social justice, and environmental responsibility into the world? 

 

How can I develop and expand my playful, joyful, spontaneous, creative qualities and share these with my toddler grandson?

3. Creativity reading:

Today I'm reading from "House of Belief" by Kelee Katillac. In the chapter "Church of the Home" she writes:

 

"We all need something to believe in, something good, beautiful, or true. If only we could find a concept so inspiring that we'd march headlong into life, convinced of our purpose and radiating belief, our story made for stained glass. If only we could live nobly, walking a spiritual path, certain of our own special potential."

"Creativity is to the spirit what blood is to the body, and when we are spiritually depleted only a transfusion that is creative in nature will restore us."

4. Creativity goals for 2021:

Duck tracks in the snow

My theme for today is creativity and self-expression. Creativity is a way of thinking and being: A creative mind is relaxed, expansive, and spontaneous. When I am open to creativity and inspiration, I can see original answers to any question. 

The childlike qualities of joy and curiosity support my innovative, creative spirit. I use my creativity to make things, and express myself, and also to solve problems. Creativity goals might be to increase my curiosity and wonder, to explore and develop my playful qualities, or to express my deepest messages.

My ideas for creativity and self-expression goals for next year so far are:

• Connect again to the earth and seasons. Use my art and writing to give a voice to nature and the environment. Paint, sew, write, craft love poems to the earth.
• Upgrade my garden to express my belief in the sacredness of nature. Make a sanctuary garden for sitting with friends and family.
• Collect toddler art ideas, and make art together. Write about toddler art and post weekly.
• Complete a monthly craftivism project to spread a message of peace, social justice, and environmental responsibility into the world.
• Complete my Ducks in a Row book.

5. End of year work list:

This week is the traditional time to complete and tie the old year closed, and allow the New Year to start fresh: Finish old projects and old business, pay debts, make apologies, call neglected friends, and return borrowed items. I have a few of these kinds of things to do! I'd like to do them in the spirit of Sabbath - that is, with reverence and attention.

Today I will make a list of tasks and symbolic acts I can do in these last few days, and put them on my calendar.

My list this year:

1. Monday - Vacuum under the bed, and call about Medicare
2. Tuesday - Sort pots and pans, and design a new storage cabinet
3. Wednesday - Finish and send out my January Ducks in a Row guide, and my genealogical stories
4. Thursday - Finish piecing and binding my prayer quilt
5. Friday - Wrap gifts to take to Olympia