Bev Jackson has awarded me the Shameless Lion Award. This award originated with Seamus Kearney of (more…)

I vow each year not to do holiday posts, but — so much for that. We have holidays for a reason, and every culture in the world has had them. But sometimes we need to take a look at our reasons for celebrating, and exactly what it is that matters. We need a way to mark the passage of the seasons, to remind ourselves with lessons from the past why we have reason to celebrate, to review our mistakes as well as our blessings.

When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about this song that I learned as a kid for Thanksgiving: (more…)

Turtleheart Cove has blogged about Dia de los Muertos celebrations, providing a glimpse at what I consider a beautiful tradition. Anyone interested in this holiday should check out her post. (Actually this isn’t one day, but a time of year when many believe the veil between worlds thins and it’s time to honor our dead.) Also be sure to take a look at the “sugar skull” Turtleheart made in honor of her friend’s son, Tom. I agree with Turtleheart that death is a subject we need to remember and think about, since it’s an integral part of our cycle of life, and keeping the subject taboo only contributes to the shock and depth of grief some of us experience. A holiday that is a yearly reminder to look back, and forward, to honor death and those who’ve gone before us, as well as a reminder to make the best of our time here, makes a lot of sense to me.