The Holidays at home

Holiday at home or “holidays at home”…that phrase can have so many meanings…it was the name of a gorgeous class I did recently with the amazing Keith Taylor, downtown Brenham and the Barnhill Center and Jennifer Hermann of Hermann Furniture. We talked about beauty and creating the literal atmosphere and backdrop for our families and friends and our holiday stories and gatherings. And that phrase has been so heavy in my heart and mind for so much of this season. Beautiful ribbon and bows and then life happens. But that is how living and life plays out. It is what makes it rich and beautiful but complicated and sorrowful too. And so I can’t believe it is nearly New Years, like literally in hours really.  Where has 2017 gone?? It has been a blur for sure. So many big and beautiful work projects and events and personal milestones and changes as well. So much to post but life must be lived right?! So a short recap of the couple of months.

Image by Natalie Lacy Lange

I’ve been eager to share this and more images from the Holiday at Home class held in Nov with Downtown Brenham at the historic Simon Theatre, but I have been on a bit of a social media and internet hiatus. I will post more of those images in my next post.  

But first I want to share, my brother Jimmy Don and I lost our dad rather suddenly right after Thanksgiving.  We did not have an easy relationship with our Dad but he was our Daddy and we loved him and we knew he loved us and our children. This image below of one of Jimmy Don’s signs sums up a lot of how I have been feeling about the loss.  I know this Whitman poem is about a romantic relationship but I think it can apply to any type of love.  It also reminds me of a Pat Conroy quote about parents and hurt and love. 

We loved you Daddy.

We know you loved us.

I forget the rest.

I could go on and on about good times and tough times and complicated grief and heartaches and regrets…but I am just going to leave it at that.  Love. I forget the rest. It is really saying “I forgive the rest” and I hope you do too but it really is also how our hearts and minds remember isn’t it?…everything becomes a blur but the true love we felt for one another hopefully remains. Memories and feelings and stories are an interesting and complex thing but love can be very simple.  It’s taken me weeks to be able to say that and feel that even but I am grateful to be in this place finally.  The season of Advent and the hope of this season certainly makes this process richer and easier to navigate and find peace. In fact it is the only thing that makes it possible at all.

So between that and the emotions of the holidays and helping clients wrap up before Christmas, I have just not been online much.   But finally, before the year’s end I have to share images from the class so watch your inbox for the next post!  Because where there is Love there is often Beauty. and Creativity.  And those things bring joy.

We create beauty at Christmas because we love our families and we want to honor and celebrate the birth of our Savior.  It is a simple and beautiful thing and this week between Christmas and the New Year is so sacred and I hope it has been restful and peaceful for you and your family.

#forgettherest

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8