Tidings from an absent blogger

It's been a busy past 6 months in the world of Summer. Summer the season has been and gone, as has fall, and winter is upon us.

I will confess I haven't really felt the blogging inspiration since June. July was an insane month with visiting relatives, two trips back to Ontario, the passing of my grandmother, and everyone in a tizzy with flood recovery. My town was spared for the most part, we were just without power for a couple of days and only houses near the river were damaged. August brought some exciting news - the boyfriend and I went on a long-awaited vacation up to Jasper on which he transformed from the BF to the FH (future husband). I suppose I've transformed too, to a FW. September was full of wedding planning excitement, birthdays, camping trips, and epic hikes. October brought with it a more relaxed pace and time for reflection with the turn of the wheel. I could have blogged, but couldn't think anything to say, I suppose.

November and December - well, the FH runs the Christmas activities at his work (a major hotel) and I work part-time in retail in addition to my regular job, so needless to say it's been busy. But today, December 24th, almost exactly 6 months since my last post seemed an appropriate time to make a reappearance.

Having a wedding on the horizon really clarified the need for me to get my spirituality sorted. Big Italian Catholic family on my dad's side coming together with FH's ambiguously spiritual family, his United Church mother, with my agnostic FH and me stuck in the middle. I need to figure out where I stand spiritually so I can defend whatever sort of ceremony we end up having to anyone who questions it (in all likelihood, that'll be my very Catholic aunts and my dad).

I don't know if this paganism thing is really for me. I don't practice rituals because they don't feel right to me, but being in the Catholic church feels a bit stuffy. However I do  notice the turning of the wheel, how this fall brought time for real introspection and harvest of the seeds I'd sown throughout the year. I notice the changing phases of the moon, and I feel wonderfully at home in the woods at night. How does this all work together? That's my task to figure out.

That all being said, I'm going to Mass at the local Catholic church tonight. Christmas Eve just doesn't feel right without going. I feel grounded in the faith of my family, even if it isn't the perfect fit for me. Perhaps this will give me some new perspective on the issue.

Whatever your traditions are for the evening and the days that follow, I wish you the very best. May your days be filled with hope, happiness, and light. Because really, that's all that matters.