WELCOME NOVEMBER…
There is something about November that says ‘keep going’.
We are not quite through the year, yet the finish-line looms.
We are plunged into darkness by Mother Nature.
We are faced with the ‘season of joy’,
and yet many of us wonder where we will find it.
And I think November is a great time to take a little peek behind you,
and see just how much you’ve done.
To take stock of your achievements, your endurance,
your survival.
To rest, reinforce, before the festivities envelope us all.
Before beautiful new beginnings.
And most importantly, November is a time to seek out light.
As the natural order darkens, we must find it ourselves.
We must do whatever we can to brighten our day,
our home, the world.
Seek out light wherever you can my friends,
and pay no heed to those who condemn your sparkle.
You are much-needed.
Keep showing up, in that special way only you can do.
And show up for yourself too
(which can sometimes mean not showing up at all).
This year has been hard.
Again.
But beautiful.
Again.
As is the way of life.
As is the way of life.
-Donna Ashworth
—
art credit: arthur rackham, british children’s literature illustrator, fall fairies from peter pan, 1906
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There is definitely something telling me to keep going at the moment
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goodvto know –
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Great advice, Beth. The sun is shining here this morning, so that’s a start.
Best wishes, Pete.
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yes, good news –
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A good message, Beth.
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I think that most people can identify with at least a part of this
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I hope so.
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I love this strong, eloquent message of positivity; I have copied down the ‘light’ section to revisit often ; thank you :)
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It is so hopeful and glad you enjoyed it
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From the illustration to the last word, beautiful post, dear Beth.
We must find the light. Yes, yes.
This is a message we can use today. Thanks. Blessings.
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❤️
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Thanks for sharing this beautiful poem.
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My pleasure
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😍😍😍
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It always seems like it is shorter than February! As a teacher we have Thanks giving break and parent conferences going on and it seems like it is over before it is over! On a weather side it is also the month with the greatest decrease in temperature! Sorry for ending on a down tempo!
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I think February is so gray and dreary that it makes it feel longer than it is
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I see it, but February is like climbing out of bed in the morning – you don’t want to do it, but you know it’s gonna get better once you do. Also there are glimmers of spring in February and March only a a step away.
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Moving right along. October did seem a bit long this year.
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We’ve much to appreciate, Beth, again.
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Indeed
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What a lovely way to start my day. Thanks, Beth. 🥰
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That’s a perfect message for this most dreary of months. So many become depressed at this time. We truly must find the brightness.
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Love these lines in particular, Beth <3
~David
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Yep, November is welcomed (and welcoming). Wonderful poem.
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She’s a wonderful writer
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Beautiful advice! November is a month of many changes…
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It is
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So well said! Beautiful <3<3
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She has a beautiful way with words
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This is just what I needed today. Thank you.
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So glad ❤️
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Now’s about the time I grit my teeth and brace for the last half mile through the gauntlet that has been 2023.
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Right, onward
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love this and funnily I thought, seeing the illustration: Looks like something from Peter Pan…
November is also the month where everyone with a depression knows that the worst time of the year has just begun. Illness gets the elderly and frail ones. We have no days any longer, because we get up in the night and have to put on the lights at 4pm, roll down the shutters at 4.30 so that we can’t be seen from the outside in every move, I light my fairy lights and candles everywhere. BUT I also enjoy the calm of the November days, the hot tea in a Christmas mug, the red wine ‘just to warm up a bit’, it’s the time where the wind blows the last leaves from the trees, they dance their last dance, I put chestnuts in my oven and look forward to wild, vigorously warming soups….
And finally, it’s SO different to your ‘usual fare’ – no kids’ drawings, no toys stories, no, a real grown up poem – so beautiful too!
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With fairies in the art of course)
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What a heart-warming and light-bringing text in these darker, cold, wet, and foggy days. What I like about November is the coziness at home.
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Absolutely
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Beautiful painting and poem. Bear, Teddy and I keep showing up. We’re steadfast in our belief that it shoves the cosmos just a little in the good direction. I think we’d break into a thousand pieces without that. And I believe it’s true. “The surest way to defeat evil is to make steadfast progress in the good.” I-Ching 43 (I think)
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Excellent
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Words to hold tight, to shine the light, no matter the month. Thank you for sharing this quote, Beth. Shine on!
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My pleasure
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I’m still trying to get my head around September!
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Sorry
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Keep going, enjoy even the dark November. 👍😊
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Yes –
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All we can do it try.
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yes –
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My goodness, this is just wonderful!
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it is really hopeful
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Yes!
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Very much so. I had to share it…🙂
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I appreciate that
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😍
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Great stuff!!
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she’s such a beautiful writer
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Thank you for sharing this life-affirming poem! I needed it.
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I think we can all identify with it
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November, the one before last! A delightful poem, Beth.
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Glad you liked it
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seek out light… yes! and amplify it if possible
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Always
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seek out light… yes! and amplify it if you can.
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Yes!
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Is that an Arthur Rackham drawing? It’s just perfect for your poem.
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yes, his credit is way at the bottom, his art is so lovely
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