Seasons

Gratitude 2015

/ Hilary Mandel / 6 Comments

Thanksgiving almost didn’t happen this year. Even though, since moving to Canada, I have two annual opportunities to celebrate, it felt like the holiday might pass me by entirely. Still, there’s always time to be thankful. And right now, I’m blasting with gratitude.

Alas, my honey and I were both sick in the days leading up to “Canadian Thanksgiving” weekend in mid-October. The week before, we had invited a small group of friends over for dinner that Sunday night. Even though we were still sneezing and coughing Saturday morning, we were optimistic that the tide would turn, so we  did a big grocery shop — a big chicken and all the fixings. [Gratitude blast: I’m thankful for Thanksgiving!] Continue reading →

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Festival of Light

/ Hilary Mandel / Leave a comment

EB and I visited Manhattan seventeen Decembers ago as part of her tour of the East Coast academies where she was considering studying for her philosophiae doctor degree.  You’d think when we were looking for fun, it being near Christmas and all, we might have laced up some skates and headed over to Rockefeller Center, but this dog don’t skate.  Instead, we went to a Solstice Circle at an urban shaman’s house.  Continue reading →

The First Day of Winter That Felt Like Spring

/ Hilary Mandel / 1 Comment

Yesterday was a day of hellos.  Hello!, I said, to the part of the hardwood floor in my bedroom usually covered by a large area rug (and to the dust that had arrived since I last peeked under there).   With the warm sun streaming through my bedroom window on a Sunday morning, it felt like time to start my spring cleaning.

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The Darkest It Gets

/ Hilary Mandel / 2 Comments

Sometimes a season can go on and on.  Here it is, the winter solstice, and my summer is just coming to an end.  Part of me doesn’t want it to end (who ever wants summer to end?), but I’m ready for a new season.  The darkness is beautiful and rich, and out of it comes growth.

I didn’t stay up last night for the lunar eclipse – honestly, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  I would have loved it, I’m sure, but tonight did the trick for me  – a community celebration in a community I love.

Earlier this evening, I joined some new friends (oh, how I love new friends!) for the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival.  We gathered at Leg-in-Boot Square on the seawall of Southeast False Creek a few minutes before 6:00, and were joined by a gaggle of  parents with strollers and foreign exchange students and curious passersby.  And of course, there were drums – what would a solstice event be without drums? Continue reading →