MAY YOUR FLIGHT INTO THE NEW YEAR BE LIGHT . . . FULL OF GRACE AND PROMISE!
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| Pileated Woodpecker |
May you be blessed with strength to hammer through any difficult times.
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
May you fly freely finding your way towards goals leading to your fulfillment.
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| Young Red-tailed Hawk |
May you spread your wings fully with joy and may the air around you be light-filled and fresh.
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| Northern Harrier |
May you contently soar through the coming days and seasons!
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
May you adjust with ease to the twists and turns of life.
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| Peregrine Falcon |
May you alight safely into each new moment!
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| Scarlet Tanager |
May your imagination rise gliding into a lightness of being a beacon bright inspiring others.
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| Indigo Bunting |
May the layers of blues that surprise you take a turn towards unknown flights that free you.
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| Eastern Bluebird |
May you be dazzled just enough to add sparkling smiles enriching your spirit and all those around you.
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| Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
May the tiniest simplest moments be held like ephemeral jewels . . .
knowing they are but fleeting thus held more preciously within.
I am wishing you the Happiest of New Years on this New Year's Eve 2010. It does sometimes seem as though the days, months and years just fly by so quickly. We gardeners are lucky to be able to measure this time by what is growing in or visiting our gardens.
Gardeners or not . . . we all measure time according to a calendar. Beginning many years ago with the Babylonians and their lunar calendar. I actually think it makes more sense to begin the new year with spring or the first crescent moon near the Vernal Equinox, as they did some 4,000 years ago. Our Gregorian calendar honors the date of the Roman Calendar, where Julius Caesar decided on January 1 as the beginning of the new year. January being named for Janus a god of doors, gateways and beginnings. He is sculpted with two faces . . . one looking towards the future and the other looking back into the past. Pope Gregory XIII refined the Julian calendar, thus in 1582 several countries decided to follow the Gregorian calendar. Changes had to do with leap years and lunar cycles and a few other customs and festivities of the Catholic church. Many peoples across the globe still do not celebrate January 1st as the New Year, even though they may follow the Gregorian calendar. There are also Muslim, Jewish, Chinese and other calendars that honor traditions and festivals throughout their calendar year.
It is fascinating how we humans mark time and honor certain age old traditions.
We sing Scotland's Robert Burns poem 'Auld Lang Syne' to salute old long ago friends, while drinking champagne to the final minutes of the fading year and popping a cork to the new one we are entering. We eat black-eyed peas, pork, green lentils and long noodles (to name but a few) on New Years Day, to bring good luck, prosperity and long life.
Time flies by regardless of our customs. We each will step into a new day or new year in our own unique way.
I tend to mark most Fridays as 'Blooming Friday' to honor lovely Katarina's meme. If you visit her Roses and Stuff you will delight in seeing the New Year celebrated in Sweden and other countries. As tomorrow is the first of the month and 'Muse Day' . . . a meme of yet another lovely blogger Carolyn Choi's Sweet Home and Garden Chicago , I will offer Robert Burns poem as my contribution a day early. As for plans and wishes I may have for this coming year, a universal wish for Peace and Justice and the awakening of people the world over, to the needs of our Earth . . . I wish wholeheartedly these wishes may come true. For myself . . . I will continue to try to keep my feathers fluffy and to fly into what life has to offer me. I must get more organized too! All the birds seen above were sighted here at Flower Hill Farm.
Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for being part of days, weeks and months adding up to nearly two years of blogging. Your support is a great gift to me.
Robert Burns (1788)
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.—
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
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