health and wealth.

Well folks, it's official. We are having a poor Christmas this year. I don't even mind it really, except  when I'm looking at all these stylish blogs where stylish people are purchasing stylish gifts for their stylish friends. So let's just avoid those, shall we?

Maybe I shouldn't say poor, I should say "handmade". Because that is actually true. This year, I will be hosting a Christmas morning pancake breakfast, and every person will have a completely different ornament on their place setting, made out of book paper, of course. I'll post a picture of those as soon as they're done.

This year we're really trying to put the emphasis on Jesus, especially for Hayden. Explaining that Christmas is his birthday and all that. I'm trying to get him into the whole story, Mary and Joseph and the angel from heaven, and he likes it, but he also likes Santa Claus. And I'm conflicted about this--I don't want to steal that childhood Santa Claus magic. So I'm sort of letting that slide, but making sure I teach him about what Christmas really is.

For those of you wondering--and you were, I'm sure--about the current status of my health, let's just say that I'm improving. Not quite where doctors want to see me yet but that will take more time. I'm still anemic, but maybe just not deathly so at this point. As for my shitty excuse of a neck, I'll be seeing an orthopedic specialist next Friday. I've been praying for the right hands, and hopefully these will be. We'll see.

I recently finished taking an e-course by the glorious Madelyn Mulvaney, and I feel the need to shamelessly promote this woman. Her Persisting Soul course woke something up in me that's been buried for a long while. What can I say? I look back at my life and see a lot of pain. I know, isn't that sad? But it's true. And a lot of pain and sadness can make it a little hard to see the beauty that's all around. I think I just got tired. Like, really, soul-achingly, sand-for-bones tired. I stopped looking. For anything. But I did pray.

"Lord, please send me something to make me feel again."

And then along came Maddie. Just like that. If you need a pick-me-up, or just need to flex some creative muscle, then PLEASE, for the love of whatever, take one of her e-courses. You will not regret the decision, I absolutely promise you.

*taken for Persisting Soul, week 1*

Another thing this course did was got me writing again. The images I gathered inspired poems, which eventually inspires short stories. I'm proud to say that I'm once again sending my writing out into the universe, hoping for a good response. It's been a long time.

So life is good lately. And terrible. And strange. And quite beautiful. Ever-shifting.