Sunday Stroll Invitation - New Year's Day

And now we welcome the new year.

Full of things that have never been. 

– Rainer Maria Rilke

Perhaps you have let your habit of walking, not just for exercise, but also just for the joy of it, fall by the wayside over the past few weeks of holiday busyness.  With the new year, comes a new opportunity to begin to establish habits that celebrate being alive on this beautiful earth.  With all it's troubles and tribulations, our home planet is still a lovely world full of beauty and mystery, and an endless number of tiny wonders; if only we could remember to slow down and take notice.  As this year begins, I will walk into each day, with my senses fully open and awake. Won't you join me?

If you have time this week for a Sunday Stroll, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. 

You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your "neck of the woods"  too. I'll check back often and try to keep the list updated.

quote from: http://idealistcareers.org/8-quotes-get-excited-new-year/

Poetry Thursday - Year's End by Richard Wilbur

Here is a lovely farewell, Year's End a poem by Richard Wilbur, as a turbulent year closes and we anticipate the arrival of a brand new year.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Monday Must - One Last Song for the Season

    Before we move into another year, I wanted to post one last song for the holiday season.  I really appreciate this duo, The Piano Guys.  They have a lot of fun videos and some fantastic performances, but I love this one especially because the pianist's daughter sings on the final verse.  She is sweet and quite good, but the bonus moment is the look on her father's face as she runs to him for a hug after the song is finished. The love just shines in that moment, and as I see it, that is what Christmas really ought to be about.

Christmas Eve Hike

Winter teases the edges of the lake,

with lacy patterns of ice and snow.

In the sand and in the woods,

we find Christmas red

and Christmas green.

Beside the cold December lake,

grows a whole forest of evergreen trees;

a beautiful place to walk on Christmas Eve.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, 

I wish you all of the joys of  this beautiful season.

Poetry Thursday - Winter Solstice

On the last evening of autumn

I lay upstairs on the guest bed 

on top of the gold and white quilt

that my grandmother

 made for me decades ago.

I look through the window

for a long while.

The horizon is glazed in autumn fire

though the earth is hidden by snow

and the maples are bare and shivering

beneath those glowing skies.

The longest night is falling;

the color bleeds from overhead

and spills into the lake.

The trees become only shadows

against a shadow sky

and I watch through the window

until my breath and I

are only shadows

 in the quiet upstairs room

on the last evening of autumn.

Monday Muse - December Song

"Why does it change with the seasons?

And why can't we just hold on

to silent nights, holy nights,

and angels singing lullabyes,

and heaven and nature 

singing good will to all"

~ Peter Hollens

I found this young artist, Peter Hollens, online recently and have enjoyed his many acapella performances on YouTube.  This is an original song, performed acoustically with other performers. His lyrics are meaningful and the ensemble of musicians work exceptionally well together.  The cello is one of my "someday I will learn to play it" instruments, so I loved hearing it on this seasonal song!

As a Monday Muse bonus, I have linked below to another of his performances.  It is highly produced, in terms of videography and the layering of Peter's own voice in harmony with his lead vocals.  I generally prefer the organic quality of a live performance, but his singing of this beloved carol is incredibly beautiful, so if you are interested, here it is. 

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Sunday Stroll - Approaching Solstice

In the winter, everything goes slower,

from collecting the mail at the end a driveway 

that is lost under many inches of snow,

to collecting the firewood 

that keeps the house warm.

We have to lean into the winter,

learn to walk at a winter's pace.

We have to listen to the hush,

that falls over the earth,

as winter settles into place.

We have to learn, all over again,

 to cherish the warmth

and comforts of home.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.