DECEMBER 2025

LIFE | LOVE | LOSS

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” 

– Aristotle

QUIET STILLNESS

“So quiet and subtle is the beauty of December that escapes the notices of many people their wholes lives through. Color gives way to form: every branch distinct, in a delicate tracery against the sky, new vistas, obscured all summer by leafage, now open up.”

-Flora Thompson

Welcome December!

This month is one full of powerful opportunities.  I take my cues from nature.  I feel pulled by the cold darker days to slow down, listen to the whisper of the wind, to do as the trees are and let go of things in my life that are no longer needed as they shed leaves easily and completely.

I planted spring bulbs in my flower garden this weekend.  I looked ahead in my minds eye to see them erupting from the cold frozen ground to share their beauty in the spring.  Yet, I know from now until then they will rest in the dark, in the cold.  That they will use this time to gather nutrients from the earth to fortify and strengthen them so they can bloom and share their colors, beauty, and light.

How can we do the same?

What do you need to release in your mind, heart, life to allow new vistas to be revealed?

Will you use this time of darkness and quiet to fortify yourself for the year to come?  What quiet spark has been whispering to your soul?

What do you long to do?  To learn?  To teach or share with the world?

I love the words shared below, how poetry is like words in motion moving like a floating leaf down a meandering stream with no cares, no worries, no strains.  May the words in motion below spark something in you that moves you.

““In English, we say: “I miss you.”

But in poetry, we say:

“I trace the shape of your absence in the spaces where your laughter used to linger and let the echoes of you fill the hollow hours.”

In English, we say: “I don’t know how to let you go.”

But in poetry, we say:

“I carry you in my chest like a stone – heavy, unyielding, and carved with the sharp edges of what once was.”

In English we say: “I feel lost.”

But in poetry, we say:

“The compass of my heart spins wildly now, its needle drawn to places it can no longer call home.”

In English we say: “I wish it were different.”

In poetry, we say: “I water the garden of could-have-beens with tears, waiting for flowers that refuse to bloom.”

In English we say: “I’ll be okay.”

In poetry, we say: “I gather the shattered pieces of myself like broken glass. Knowing someday, even scars can catch the light.”“

– Larson Langston

When it comes to the holidays and missing those who are no longer here, do what feels best.  Set a place for them at the table, hang their stocking (I still do for my son), speak their name, share memories, ask family or friends to write letters to them or you share favorite memories, give in their name, do something they loved to do.

Or go full Jamaji mode and ‘shut the door’ on all of it, leave town, don’t decorate and take a break from it all.  Whatever is best for you and your wellbeing, do that!

Mental Health Moment:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

-J.K Rowlings

Sometimes the winter blues can get the best of us.  Above and below are some tips to help.

Keep a routine, get good rest by stopping screen time at least 30 minutes before bed, stay connected to others (even a select few), make time for things you DO enjoy, get outside (or sit in a window) with sunlight, take care of your physical health, make a plan for yourself if the winter blues do come for you, find or create moments to relax, drink sensibly, write things down making gratitude lists or to-do’s, most importantly ask for help if and when needed!

All my best,

Genna

RESOURCES

988 – National Mental Health Hotline – Talk or Text 24/7