a simple yarn

‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…’   Ecclesiastes 3:1

I confess…I love living in a climate that has specifically changing seasons.  I can’t imagine myself in a place where it is constant…static…not dynamic.  Even the thought of living in a tropical island paradise, where every day brings sunshine and perfect temperatures, might pale over time without the occasional greyness and rain for variety.

To have the fresh newness of spring expand into hot summer days which are then rewarded with cool autumn breezes ushering in cold winter snows is a cycle that I celebrate…yep, even while I’m slogging through the muck.  Mostly because I know that at the end of the dead winter dormancy, there will be a pristine spring to start the cycle all over again.  It’s that change—that active circle, which fascinates me.  I realize, though, there are other life cycles where the circle is fully drawn and completed.

Today marks the third anniversary of this space.
What a gift to celebrate life’s seasons and cycles with you!
But for me, if I were to be honest, the circle is fully drawn and complete.
It’s time to put this away so a new and different season of life can begin and grow and develop.
As with the intricacies of this Celtic spiral, another circle might unexpectedly form, drawing new and twisting lines.
Like springtime, it might bloom again after an extended season of dormancy.
But I agree with King Solomon that there is a time for everything.
Rather than fading away into disinterested obscurity, the time for this blog has come to a close.

It’s with great satisfaction and extreme gratitude that I mark your involvement over the years.
The story is told…this simple yarn has been spun for now…all that remains is to conclude with a very sincere and heartfelt—
Thank You.

What a great time it’s been rambling through the archives these last few weeks…

But, much like viewing an old family slide show or flipping through scrapbooks and albums, most of it might lull you into a foggy stupor.  Yeah, apologies for that.  Here’s the last category…

Of all the things I’ve tossed into the ‘kitchen sink,’ one of the most memorable was learning that I had won an Irish Blog Award. Totally unexpected.  So very much appreciated.  It just doesn’t get any better than that…

Except perhaps when I see sights like this.

Two children in total cooperation without a bickering complaint on their tongues.  Wow, that’s an award I’d like to keep…and it doesn’t require dusting!    Think I might need to plaster this on the refrigerator, you know, just as a subtle reminder…

Introduction:
Over the last few years, I’ve had great fun looking through the lens of my little camera.  Ireland certainly put her best face forward each and every time I snapped a shot.  While I’ve just recently posted some of my overall favorite pics, these two posts bring great nostalgic joy for what was seen through that lens…not only through my eyes, but through the Kiddies’ eyes as well…

Through A Child’s Eyes (originally published 31 August 2007)
What happens when you give a camera to your children just for something to do?

Full Circle (originally published 30 May 2008)
Indulging in a bit of retrospectivity…

One of my favorite pictures from our first days in Ireland.

Had stumbled upon a hidden inlet, rocks relentlessly battered by waves until rounded and smooth. What a treat as we, too, felt relentlessly battered by new cultural experiences in those early days.
How small the Kiddies seem!

Appropriate, then, to come full circle for another visit to the inlet during our last days on the island.

A few other pictorial indulgences thrown in for good measure…

Off the coast of Wicklow

Glendalough, Co. Wicklow