Humility and Growth

Yoga intentions: Growth and Humility

I love seasons, and almost all my habits reflect the shift in seasons.  My job is seasonal! My taste buds change from tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer to rooted vegetables and pumpkin pie type things in the Fall, to chili and chocolate chip cookies on snow days and warm soups on the rainy days in between.  My workouts also change by the seasons -- I love crisp runs in the spring and Fall, sweaty playground or driveway workouts in the summer, and in the winter, I spend my sacred workout time in hot yoga.  Lately, I've been doing yoga more than anything else, and where I go to hot yoga, I pick up an "intention" for the practice. Just last week, I picked up the word "humility," and a few days later, I picked up "growth." In moments of clarity, usually at yoga, I realize growth is truly just the shrinking of need for credit, approval, accolades for myself, so only in true humility will I grow.  I have had some interactions lately where I seek to please others and all too often, I need to explain myself, but lately I'm starting to realize that my job is to be, to love and to accept.  It is so futile to worry about receiving love and acceptance, and in the process, I grow.

The Season of Thanksgiving
Our family enjoyed the first time we've all been together for the holiday weekend! Both sets of my Bates family made the trip from Centerville, Tennessee to Fredericksburg. The girls were so excited that we started menu planning and cooking several days in advance.

 I love everything about Thanksgiving, and while I know the truth of the first Thanksgiving is not exactly represented in the myth we've created, I love the myth, too.

 Molly's class dressed up as First Americans on Monday and Pilgrims as Tuesday. Her teacher had students pick their "First American" name to reflect their personality. When I suggested, "Sassy Sister," Molly quipped that she didn't want Mrs. Welsh to know she was sassy.

The family arrived on Tuesday and after an evening together, the girls stayed home while the adults visited some Virginia wineries. Daddy had NEVER done a wine tasting, and of course his experimenting with it was a tad entertaining, a tad embarrassing -- a little like growth and humility.

 Douglas and Becki are experts at Virginia wineries.

And the next day, thanks to Mom bringing up some food she prepared and froze, we hosted Thanksgiving. 

 The tables were mismatched and the decor was a mix of hodge podge and children's craft.

 But the company was a good mix!

 We made a holiday moscow mule in these fabulous copper cups.

 Both the little and the big things make me happy.  I like the cocktail and copper mugs as party favors -- my mom needs a posed picture.

The adults had cocktails and the kids had each other. 

A funny story about the name crafts. The girls got frustrated, so Daddy Doug finished them up.

And then, in the blink of an eye, or a couple days' worth of decorating and organizing, seasons shift.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. -Norman Vincent Peale