Saturday, December 3, 2016

WAITING...

I’m a lapsed everything these days.
I’ve lapsed to the point of having an atheist sticker slapped on the backside of my Toyota Yaris.
There’s no coming back from that.

Still, there are shreds of my childhood that come soaring back to me at this time of year, and I’ve learned to hold them dear: the brass angels that flew in a circle above the lighted candles and rang little bells as they passed by; the snowflake patterns we cut from folded pieces of paper and taped to the front windows of our house; the smell of spruce cuttings; the branches of bright blood-red winterberries arranged in a floor vase in our front hall.

And advent calendars.
          I remember the ritual each December morning: searching for the little numbers on the little doors, lifting the flap and opening it wide to find a small surprise within.
It was part of the magic.

I saw this one in our local indie bookstore.
It’s a farm scene: red barn, two-storied farmhouse with green garlands wrapped around the porch pillars; it’s chock-a-block full of children on sleds and skis and toboggans and flying saucers (remember those?); there are wreaths hanging on doors and silos and fenceposts; there’s a cat on the porch, a dog on the steps and a squirrel in a tree; warm light pours out of all the windows.
There’s Santa in a sleigh (and his little door is No. 24, of course!).

But my favorite part is the lower right corner.
          A rail fence; two cows—one Jersey, one a small Holstein—three sheep; a manger full of bright yellow hay; that trio of geese (the Magi?) parading across the drive; that bright red cardinal on the fence post.

They’re all looking in the same direction, they’re all waiting…


Advent.

24 comments:

  1. A lovely Advent Calendar - much nicer than those loaded with chocolate. We’ve all been waiting too, very patiently, and now your’e back!! Hurrah!

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    1. Nice to be back!! A couple of interesting medical adventures, but things on the upswing. I've missed all the Sepians, truly!

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  2. A beautifully written evocative post which conveyed the sense of anticipation and the simple pleasures from simple things.

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    1. All the more important in these tumultuous times...

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  3. I love that last image of the empty manger and all the animals looking off in one direction. A picture is truly worth a thousand words.

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  4. As a child, most of what I knew about rural life came from illustrations like this. Later in life I was disappointed to learn that farms did not grow fields of candy canes.

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    1. I still hold the belief that farms can grow anything, Mike -- even candy canes!

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  5. A skillful artist, one with a sense of humour I think.

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    1. You're right, Lorraine...maybe I'll post a photo of another part of this scene later on -- you'll see proof of that humor!

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  6. Good to hear that you feel like posting again. The scene on your Advent Calendar sounds idyllic.

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    1. Thanks, Jo -- I so prefer the weekly prompts! And, since I lived some time on a dairy farm, that calendar IS idyllic to me!

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  7. A lovely post, and a great example of that amazing capacity images have of being able to be dissected so that even the smallest part still contains a mass of interest and detail.

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    1. Thank you, Alan! I've thought of posting more of this calendar every Saturday through December...and can actually follow the prompts, I think!

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  8. Wow, what a great post.
    "Still, there are shreds of my childhood that come soaring back to me at this time of year, and I’ve learned to hold them dear..."
    Likewise. I find myself at this time of year trying to capture that elusive feeling ... the anticipation, the thrill, the contentment. I often wish I could look at the world through a child's eyes again.
    Sorry. Heavy stuff for a Sepia Saturday post. Love your advent calendar and the little watchful, waiting, hopeful corner.

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    1. It's different, isn't it, for children? That magic is fresh, new--and that magic is exactly what I miss so terribly. Thank you, Patty, for your comments...

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  9. Yes, I remember the excitement of waking up each morning, ready to do that search for the date and open that window, knowing the images so well.

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    1. Me, too...spooning in my cereal, looking for the little numbers! And never knowing what would be behind the little door...

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  10. I wish I'd started collecting these a long time ago. They are magical. And I understand the search for the past in little moments. I sat and watched an Andy Williams Christmas special and got depressed. Not because Andy ended up an ***hole, but because the moments of watching those musical numbers with my family so long ago are just that...so long ago.

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    1. I'm finding that same nostalgia now that I've hit 70 years; things change...and we can't stop that change. We can, though, remember...

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    2. A life well lived is full of memories.

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  11. Oh goodie, there will be more of this calendar to come! I also am glad to have weekly prompts back on SS. Much easier for me somehow. Thanks for this sweet post.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara, for such a nice response! I can definitely get one more post out of this calendar!

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