this third day
of whirling Christmas snow
and still
no magic in my heart
no rest for this unhinged mind

As you can tell by the poem, I am still struggling with not working and the anxieties and doubts that come with this feeling of displacement. And while I was quite looking forward to enjoying this holiday season, I am finding that my personal struggles are impinging. I am seeking the magic and the joy to no avail.

Yesterday, a glimpse. I stumbled across Penny Harter's heartfelt message on Curtis Dunlap's "Blogging Along Tobacco Road" (if you aren't familiar, you really must check it out) and it touched me like nothing else has this Christmas season. Penny, after having just lost her husband, poet Bill Higginson, reminds us that life is full of magical moments by relaying a dream she had about Bill. It is beautiful. Penny ends by saying "may we all be reminded that both in sorrow and in joy, we should strive to celebrate the blessing of being here on this old planet, and the opportunity to share both the blessings and challenges of our lives with one another."

Ah yes, a little perspective on the magic and joy of just being.