So fellow travelers, we woke this morning in a beautiful Chrismas Card world
Soft angel kisses
Falling gently from the sky
Blesséd Christmas snow
Gratitude always for the simple gift of Light and the presence of Love which surrounds us all. Be you gathered together or in simple solitude, be it for the day or a season, may blessings of peace rest upon your hearts.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready
Posted by sagemtnmom on December 25, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/12/25/christmas-snow/
So fellow travelers, the transition from Autumn to Winter has been grey, damp and chilly here in Central New York.
Slight differences in temperatures determine whether it’s raining or snowing . Thick mats of wet leaves create slick patches almost as treacherous as ice. The sun is obscured by dense clouds for days at a time; even the briefest of appearances is cause for celebration.
Quick look ! Do you see what we see?
Delilah and I spy the distant glow of sunshine far down the road we walk almost everyday in our neighborhood.
In the midst of gloom I received some heartening news; I’ve had to reset some hoped for plans lately, so I am going to hold this one close to my heart until it is more certain to unfold.
Meanwhile I opted for a mental health day, which initially included plans to finish Christmas shopping. This era of online purchases with direct recipient shipping is easier but lacks the personal touch which I try to bring to the gifts I give. There’s a simple joy in scouting craft shows and small shops to find the right something for each person on my list.
When the day dawned bright and clear I shifted gears to allow for a visit to a favorite birding spot.
Upon arriving , I remembered why it’s a not a frequent stop on my winter walking destinations. Early snow already covers the minimally maintained roadway; eventually it will become impassable until spring.
For now I was granted passage through and I drovecarefully along the winding road marveling at the transformation winter has made.
The little brook still babbles free and blissful it has not frozen over yet
Everything has become something new unto itself, familiar and yet not, a reflection of the path I am trying to navigate right now. I think I can see the way forward and yet, a sudden change leaves me on less certain footing.
Tracks in the snow leading to the little pond
Wrapped in the deep silence of these favorite woods blanketed in snow, lost in thought the bright chirping of a chickadee called me back.
High on a pine branch
One bird sits and sings alone
Joy cascades like snow
A simple, familiar reminder. Stop, look, listen.
What we seek is closer than we think.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on December 13, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/12/13/winter-in-whiskey-hollow/
So fellow travelers, a few days ago a vision of wind driven golden light caught my eye from an upstairs window.
I had taken a mental health day to reset my perspective and that day had brought sunshine and milder temperatures, rare gifts for November in upstate NY.
I’ve been working on tying up some loose ends left unattended while my energies were hijacked by situations my team at work had to deal with for so long. While that concern has been “resolved,” allowing work to become once again a fulfilling part of my day, I am still addressing the residual impact two years of continuous, escalating stress had on my health and marriage. My husband, good man and devoted father that he is, struggles with knowing how to support me when I am in a crisis. Wounds from his own past have left scars which bind his heart and emotions, something I do my best to be mindful of but easily lose sight of when I am in turmoil.
Blessed with several solid groups of friends both at and beyond work, I managed to get through the worst moments. Now I can see while we tried desperately to get help for someone slipping into darkness just how hard I had to fight to keep from being pulled over that edge too. Love for my family guarded my heart and friends became my lifeline. So when a misunderstanding threatened to fracture some of those friendships, it sent a shock wave through my current peace of mind. It’s disheartening when genuine apologies generate more hurt than healing.
Taking a day for reflection and self care meant I could chase that glorious vision outside my window. I grabbed a daypack and headed for a favorite trail to track the elusive light of changing seasons.
Bright leaves, so late to put in an apperance this year flew everywhere, urged on by an unseasonably warmish wind. County Parks workers were hard at work getting the annual Holiday Lights on the Lake displays in place for the season.
Santa’s flying sleigh is a favorite, sure to elicit “oh’s” and “ah’s” when driving through .
Park residents reserving their spot for the kick off event early next week
As Delilah stalked fat squirrels who were too focused on foraging to mind the many dogs passing by, I caught tantilizing glimpses of Light everywhere.
Perched on a picnic table, watching sunlight dance on the water, I remembered an important lesson: Reactions of others are more about them than us. When we ask ourselves “What is this person’s response telling me about their inner landscape?” it often clarifies and helps us separate our personal issues from others. Taking responsibility for our part of a misunderstanding and acknowleding another person’s feelings does not obligate us to take on someone’s hurt, anger or sadness. If we offer peace it will return to us all in good time.
Feelings come and go
like leaves blown about by wind
only love remains
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on November 11, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/11/11/autumn-glow/
So fellow travelers, there’s some odd, unseasonable weather afoot this year. At least the bone chilling, soaking walks Delilah and I have endured gave rise to a bit of mood infused images and some poetic musings.
Excuse me, hello Autumn ?
Who have you become lately ?
Weeping torrential Spring rains
Howling Winter winds
Pallid attempts at seasonal coloration
A seeming Ghost of yourself
Oh
Wait
I get it
Trick or Treat !
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on October 25, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/10/25/autumn-who-art-thou/
So fellow travelers, it took a Fire Dragon who appeared in the sky after a powerful thunderstorm,
daring me to chase the sunset, to shake off the sadness of this passing of an extraordinary summer of adventures. As I ran through wet grass and puddles in the street words tumbled out in to this haiku~
Summer adventures
Joy ignited heart and soul
Forever ablaze
Time to welcome a new season of discovery.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on September 3, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/09/03/summers-gift/
So fellow travelers, today marks the start of a new solar year in this grand adventure of life. Reflecting on the bookends of the first and last days
Team Fairbanks-Rahalski at the summit of Pinnacle Peak Trail in Rainier National Park
I can see the origami of insights and growth created by the challenges weathered in-between two foundations: friends and family. As I embark fullspeed into the coming years of this sixth decade of solar returns I have my sights set on the adventures made possible by that foundation.
The road we travel
is made lighter by the Love
carried in our hearts
To all the beautiful points of Light in my community of family and friends here is a heartfelt haiku of gratitude for the love and support which has and will continue to bless my journey. You are the best gift anyone could ever receive.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready
Posted by sagemtnmom on July 16, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/07/16/bookends/
So fellow travelers, mindful of the childhood lesson “If you can’t say something nice, it’s best to say nothing at all,” I’ve been silent here.
Truth be said I have little which is positive I could say about work, this creative funk or lack of trail walking due the weather.
There was this moment on our deck this morning when words bubbled up into little burble of words.
Paw prints in the snow
Birds sing faithfully for warmth
Spring is deaf this year
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on April 18, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/04/18/desperately-seeking-spring/
So fellow travelers, this Easter Fools morning greeted me with a joyous serenade. Sweet notes, bright enough to wake me just before dawn.
As I watched Light gently transform the last shadows of the night through the window I caught a glimpse of orange as the solo songster flew off towards another tree. So clear and bright was his song, I could still discern the notes as they drifted across the greenspace in front of my parents little townhouse. I drove to Philly yesterday to celebrate my Mom’s 88th birthday. My two brothers and their wives (who have become more sisters than sisters-in-law to me) and nieces and nephews and their partners all gatherered around a table toasting the blessing of being family.
Immersed in the glory of it all I uncharacteristically missed grabbing a photo, although when it was time for the cake we did grab a photo op with Mom and the grandkids.
When I shared the photo online a friend asked if it made me miss my daughters. No, I said, not as much anymore. Of course I’d love to have them here, but in their absence being with my nieces and nephews is a joyous experience. They each shine in their own unique ways and the older ones have chosen partners who are so genuine and funny. I feel renewed by their spirit and humor.
It has been a long winter, harsh in ways beyond weather. The silence here in my blog is a measure of its toll. Yet struggles, like seasons, shift and eventually pass. Today’s predawn solo songster found me waking to a heart filled with gratitude, rhythmic words spontaneously taking form, affirming a time of renewal.
The wait feels endless
Light shrouded in mists of doubt
Until robins sing
May the blessings of Spring bring renewal to you all.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on April 1, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/04/01/rejoice/
So fellow travelers, hush….listen
can you hear it?
Uh huh, that is the legendary “sound of silence.”
I’m not sure it’s what Simon and Garfunkle had in mind when they penned their iconic song, but anyone who lives in deep snow country knows it and it is what I woke to this morning after hours and hours of constant snow. Sixty-six hours for anyone keeping track, which of course the airport weather station does for us.
66 hours and 19.5 inches later our yard is an arctic landscape, minus the glaciers, although if our sub zero windchills continue those may be coming soon. Stay tuned.
Lake Effect bands like this are common here. Unlike Winter Storm Grayson which blustered up the East coast earlier this week they are a not product of specific low pressure systems, but the result of several conditions (cold dry air, open waters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, shifting winds) which combine to create streams of snowfall over areas of Upstate New York. Our weather teams don’t refer to them as “storms,” they call them “events.”
How feastive!
I suspect it will be a while before I can put away the outdoor Christmas decorations.
It’s been a while since we had such a severe start to a winter season. Favorite Youngest Daughter commented it’s the first white Christmas we’ve had in a while. Oh we always get snow well before Christmas, but in recent years it seems it melted right before we most wanted it. Not so this year, in fact winter is ramping up to be one long, brain freezing endurance test.
So, if Old Man Winter is laying down the challenge, I’m determined to summit those wind driven snow drifts and seek wonder wherever I can.
Like the quiet “chip!chip!” outside my kitchen window,
drawing my attention to a flash of red, revealing a brave yard resident reminding me to check the feeders,
where little tracks are my thankful reminder not only birds are counting on me
and a burst of early morning color shines with anticipation for the coming year.
Dawn comes silenced winds
leave glistening gems of Light
Pause Wonder Breathe Be
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on January 7, 2018
https://dhrahalski86.com/2018/01/07/on-snow-events-and-wonder/
So fellow travelers, a deep cold snap has settled over our humble home.
My little pond has become a skating rink for the resident squirrels who slide across the surface to drink from little pool which forms around the heated aerators. Below the ice, fish sleep suspended in hibernation until Spring.
Last night when howling winds woke me I thought I was hearing voices singing. The clock showed just past 3am but no ghosts of Christmases past, present or future appeared. Still the eerie chorus must have echoed in my sleep, strange images swirled in my dreams until dawn, fueled a bit by the dynamics of processing the stress from the last month at work and balancing the logistics of family gatherings throughout the holidays.
I’ve been feeling the impact of some personal losses this season too so when I caught the radiant light of sunrise this morning it stirred a desperate longing for peace giving words to this haiku styled prayer.
I want to believe
In every sunrise promise
Dig deeper for faith
Breathe in reach for hope
Deep in my soul I know each of us will find our way forward through challenging times. We have strong bonds of love woven by family and friends near and far. A new year is coming and although it is “just a flip of a page on the calendar,” as someone rather jaded recently pointed out, for me at least it is still a chance to review our direction and reset our course as needed.
The glowing Light of sunrise is my daily reminder every day brings the hope and promise of a new beginning. I will greet this coming year holding strong in my resolve to believe the journey always brings us to where we belong.
Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.
Posted by sagemtnmom on December 27, 2017
https://dhrahalski86.com/2017/12/27/zen-moment-deep-freeze-sunrise/
