Today, of course, is the 12th day of Christmas, also know as Epiphany. This morning, before sunrise, I read the last entry in my special Advent devotional and lit the four candles–almost time to put the holder and other accessories aside–for the next to the last time this season. I plan to relight them tonight and let them burn down to stubs before bidding this particular tradition a fond farewell–for now. I can admit it; I hate to let them go. 🙂 Fortunately, I still have my New Years set-up, because I love the sacred and festive sense I get from the process. It’s got me thinking about small personal ceremonies and how enriching they can be to my spirit.
These little lights of mine, I’m gonna let them shine!
Back to work today, and it feels really good. I’m doing revisions on THE MARRIAGE SEASON, the third and final book in the Brides of Bliss County trilogy, and then I’m going on to something brand new. More on that later.
An interesting thing happened a few days ago–it was morning and I had been laying off the exercise, on the advice of my doctor, after that round of flu and the accompanying anti-biotics. In the past, an interruption like that might well have thrown me straight back to Square One (a place I have visited many times in the course of my life, for many reasons). Instead, I realized 1) that I felt a lot better and 2), my body actually craved exercise. I got on my bike and pedalled happily along and then I felt even better than before. I try for 40 minutes, but I’m no longer recording exact time, distance, calories burned, etc. Nor do I wait until I have 5 sessions in a week to award myself a sticker. Now, if I exercise, I get a sticker. 🙂 Much simpler and far less obsessive, so I regard this as progress, since I tend to get a little carried away with these things. 🙂 Another change: I have retired my scale to a basement storeroom–I get weighed at Weight Watchers every Wednesday morning, and that’s enough, in my opinion. I waste way too much energy being a perfectionist–sometimes to the point where I don’t get anything done at all! I’m in my fourth year of listening to the Daily Audio Bible–must admit I missed a few months in 2014 because of Old Testament Burnout. 🙂 (I might actually skip Leviticus this time around. Call me reckless.)
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
