Pandemic Christmas

Christmas Eve 2020: Winds stirred prepping for a storm. A loud howl broke through the night and the beautiful sound of "O Holy Night" floated from a TV broadcast. Bells rang noting the beginning of Midnight Mass. Masked choir singers and an empty church brought to mind how different this Christmas was. 

Christmas Day 2020: Grey sky, light rain, and a distinct coolness called for a cozy stay indoors despite the fact that no tree decorated the living room. The 1940s manger scene and aged decorations were stored away in boxes for an upcoming move. Yet, hope remained. A couple of Zoom meet-ups and phone calls brought family together turning Christmas into an unusual but memorable event. 

Pandemic Christmas

Different in context,

Leaves its indelible mark.

Families meet from distant corners.

Little ones bring a spirit of joy to the occasion

Spreading cheer as voices move virtually.

Happy Holidays to All!

The spirit of Christmas exists despite unusual situations and faces covered in masks.

2021 enters soon providing a new start and fresh possibilities.

🌲🌲🌲

I now turn my attention to the Poetry Friday Roundup at Irene Latham's blog, Live Your Poem. Irene brings us the conclusion of her last ArtSpeak, a beautiful red poem of 2020 with the haunting ending message: let love carry you across all hours.

For those who may have missed the unveiling of the Abundant Autumn Gallery, I offer a Gallery Walk through the 1st edition and second edition for your viewing pleasure. A new edition will appear soon to applaud the artists, poets, writers, and bloggers who present their artistic expression of a season that was Mother Nature's gift to the world during the pandemic. 

Abundant Autumn Gallery Unveiled

There is harmony 

In autumn, and a lustre in its sky, ...

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

Be my guest. Enter Abundant Autumn Gallery

of Artistic Expressions

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

2020  has been a most unusual year. A pandemic raged. The world tossed and turned in a tizzy of fear. Isolation, virtual learning, and masks became part of a new normal way of living. Seemingly in an effort to counterbalance earth's sorrow, nature fairydusted landscapes. Autumn glowed brilliantly, opening a season of lustrous colors and awe-inspiring sights. With artistic flourish, Autumn became an influencer, nature a silent wonder. Trees, tipped in gold, tasted nature's kiss. Awe walks became a happening. A gallery of scenic treasures emerged. 

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

awed by autumn's art

earth-painted masterpieces

inspired beauty

©CV, 2020

Photo by #chazchaz, South Africa, via @Al_Dhalla

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

I invite you to relax in the stillness of earth's beauty as you take a virtual awe walk through the

first pathway of the Abundant Autumn Gallery. 

In quiet morning light flooding earth,

revisit silent sanctuaries.

Pause in reverance to observe

nature's crispclean gifts of vibrant hues.

Fill your coffers with autumn's treasures

showcased in jeweled, seasonal displays.

Dip your thoughts in peaceful streams of light

as nature paints earth with abundance.

Give gratitude for its artistry.

©CV, 2020

Lillian Lake, autumn in Maine.

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

As you stroll through the beauty of this fall gallery, I encourage you to listen to the peaceful music of Tim Janis' Autumn Leaves.

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

AUTUMN BEAUTIES

Terje Akke from Estonia offers a touch of her countryside.

Linda Baie shares one of her Denver walk thoughts.

Offerings from Jama Rattigan's blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup.

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

Back in October 2019, life did not know that a pandemic would shake the world.

Matt Forrestt Esenwine, New Hampshire

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

CHILDREN'S CORNER

Morgan from Oregon shares her lovely drawing.

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

NATURE PHOTOS ALLOW VIEWERS to APPRECIATE the BEAUTY of AUTUMN

Devin Hartnett, Virginia

©CVarsalona, Long Island above & Virginia below

Steve Kelley, Iowa

@Alaska Tracy, Alaska

Terje Akke, Estonia

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

To listen to the Abundant Autumn Playlist, click here.

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

Inspirational Digitals to Ponder

breathe in the crsipcool

woodsmoke season as leaves ballet

beneath oak hums

©CV, 2020, Autumn Breath Nestling from Irene Latham's book, This Poem is a Nest, Autumn

🍁🍃🍂

I saw old Autumn in the misty morn

Stand shadowless like Silence, listening

To silence,... -Thomas Hood

(via Robyn Hood Black)

(via @stephenkelley85)

🍁🍃🍂

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

CREDITS

I close with gratitude for all those who helped create a successful first edition of the Abundant Autumn Gallery. The community of reflective writers has continued to grow since the first Reflect With Me Gallery of Artistic Expression in March 2014. A complete list of participants will appear at the final closing of the Gallery. For now, I bid you a fond farewell. May your next walk outside, allow you to view life through a different lens of positivity and gratitude. 

The next edition of the Abundant Autumn Gallery will follow shortly. 

There will be another inspirational walk through Autumn

🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂

For now, I join Poetry Friday with this week's host, Buffy Silverman. 

HOP TO IT with me by clicking here.

A Touch of Christmas Magic

As we slowly drove down the street, a streak of colored lights poured out from a maze of trees.  Against the darkness, a magical array of animated, moving holiday forms were swinging from various corners of an immense yard. We watched big-eyed like little children in an old-fashioned candy store, eyeing a life-size live train set circling in a wooden caboose-like structure. Santa and his reindeer traveled across the sky while animated polar bears pendulated around massive trees. Unexpectedly, a family appeared in the driveway as friendly as can be, ready to share their back story on how their holiday display became on one of the famous stops on Holly's Tacky Christmas Lights Trail. 

Serendipity?  No, this was a well-planned short outing in Herndon, Virginia for us to be dazzled by a fantastic Christmas display. If we could rate the owner's tremendous work since June 2020, it would be a ten for ingenuity, skill, and creativity. If you want more proof that this holiday sighting is a gleeful one, than look at the wonder from my grandchild with a penchant for amazing sights. 

"What did you like the best, Sierra?"  

"Baby Jesus and the trains, Grandma."

Even a pandemic cannot deny the magic of Christmas!

Offering this Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers' community of writers.

After four months of being isolated from family, we finally traveled to Virginia for the walkthrough of our new home that has been built via mostly digital communication. It was a thankful moment seeing my granddaughter Sierra, 3, and her baby sister, Aurora, 1o months old. While all members of the family have been cautious about our whereabouts, being in the open-air with masks and social distancing felt almost normal. We talked, laughed, and enjoyed a magical pre-Christmas moment.