I love our tree of lights that the lovely Mr S has put up today, our first Christmas decoration.
I bought this delightful little angel at last Saturday’s market loving that she is made from a local shell, sports the colours of the Suffragettes (purple, white and green) and also the colours of the Suffragists (white, red and green) who believed in non violent action. 
A friend sent me today’s poem by Ellen Bass and it moved me to tears. Here it is for you:
To love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles like burnt paper in your hands,your throat filled with the silt of it.When grief sits with you, its tropical heatthickening the air, heavy as watermore fit for gills than lungs;when grief weights you like your own fleshonly more of it, an obesity of grief,you think, How can a body withstand this?Then you hold life like a facebetween your palms, a plain face,no charming smile, no violet eyes,and you say, yes, I will take youI will love you, again.~Ellen Bass
(Book: Mules of Love)
utesmile
December 6, 2024 at 6:04 pm
What a beautiful tree!
mybeautfulthings
December 8, 2024 at 4:49 pm
Yes, I love it too. 🙂
artfulcrone
December 6, 2024 at 1:09 pm
“an obesity of grief”… that line is brilliant.
mybeautfulthings
December 8, 2024 at 4:50 pm
Isn’t it? So many lines that just touch the spirit really deeply. 🙂
Lisa -Southern Patches
December 6, 2024 at 1:12 am
I love the poem and the angel.
mybeautfulthings
December 8, 2024 at 4:52 pm
Isn’t she delightful? Just so simple and very effective.