Walking right into 2024
I recently joined a knitting group. We have a yarn store in the town, and much to my delight I found out that they have a group that meets every other Wednesday night.
I’ve heard countless people talking about how tough 2023 has been. I am certainly in that camp. Maybe you are, too. “Ready to be free of 2023” has been my motto that I’ve been jokingly saying to my friends and family. We had a completely unexpected family emergency this summer that ended up changing my and Cody’s day-to-day in a significant way. To be truthful, I joined the group because I needed something fun and light to do during the week. So, knitting with a group of older strangers it was.
As a side note, I 10/10 recommend finding a knitting group to join. Sitting around and knitting with a group of women that are 55 and older is just about the best decision I made this year.
The group of 5 women took turns telling me how they ended up in this group that has been meeting for 8 years. With wrinkles on their faces and kindness in their eyes, they shared stories of their own 2023 type of seasons.
Their openness gave me the permission to share myself. “Well, actually,” I started, “I’m here because I’m going through a bit of a tough time myself.” I gave the circle of sweet strangers a very brief overview of my year.
Their responses:
“Well, I’m so glad you came tonight.”
“You’re sitting in a circle of supportive women. You just keep coming back here.”
“You make sure you do things like this to take care of yourself.”
But one of the women, Caroline, stopped knitting and looked me in the eye and said, “You all will get through this. You really will.”
Obviously, I was trying not to cry in front of this group of new friends. Caroline then shared how she’d been through a season very similar to my own. “What helped you the most?” I asked her.
“Oh, walks,” she said. “Lots of walks in the woods.”
Her answer surprised me. We had a chat about how powerful something as simple as walks can be. And every hard day after that talk, I’d think about how Caroline said that walks in the woods are what helped her the most. Then I'd put on my tennis shoes, and head out the door.
I’ve been a walker for a while, but now this year, they’ve become a really buoy. Whether it’s on my back road, at a park, or on a treadmill, walking has been a safe and sacred space for me.
It’s such a simple and basic thing that I often forget about. Like drinking water, or taking a deep breath. But here, at the end of the year when things can get so full and busy, I just want to remind us about walking. Maybe at the end of this email, you can close your computer or turn off your phone, and go take a short walk. That’s what I’m planning to do when I’m done writing it.
To Care For Yourself...
Even though I am laaaate to the party, I started “Anne with an E” on Netflix this fall. Anne saying this reminded me of my conversation with Caroline at my knitting group:
“If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep, woods, and I'd look up into the sky--up--up--up--into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer.”
- Anne with an E
My invitation to you today is simple. Schedule a time this week to go on a walk, and to feel a prayer. Whatever that looks like for you. Do it right now! Take your calendar out, and schedule a walk for however long you want. & really make it special. Take a hot drink, wear your favorite scarf, maybe put on your favorite music in your earbuds, and do your own version of “going on into a great big filed, or the deep, deep woods,” and feel your own prayer.
To Connect With God...
Something I started practicing in 2020 was walking with God. & I want to invite you into it today.
If you want to, add on to the practice of caring for yourself in this way: as you walk, picture a person of the Trinity walking with you. Sometimes I picture the Father, or the Holy Spirit, walking with me. I often picture Jesus. Sometimes, I’ve even imagined God coming to me as a mother and walking with me. See what comes to mind first, and just take a walk with that person.
See if God has anything to say to you. Or maybe, He just wants to walk in silence and be with you. See how that settles, and consider if this might be something you want to practice more of…taking walks with God.
When I first started doing this, I wrote the below song with a good friend of mine. We based it off of 1 Corinthians 1:27: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
Enjoy the words like a poem, and notice what stands out to you today.
I've been running from my weakness
You've been calling it my strength
I've been fighting all this tension
You've been writing a melody
You choose the foolish things, oh God
To shame what looks wise to all of us
You choose the weakest things, oh God
To shame what looks strong all of us
I've been hiding all my questions
You've been smiling knowingly
I've been striving for my arrival
You've been waiting to walk with me
When all your mystery no longer makes me sing
The sun the moon the stars and all the heavenly things
When void and darkness is all that my eyes can see
There in the formless is where you are hovering
Instead of angry seas or kingly majesty
A whisper is what calms the storm inside of me
A song of love you’re always singing over me
With arms outstretched you’re always singing over me
You choose the quiet things oh God
To shake all the loudest things in us
You choose the humble things oh God
To make such a mighty love for us
Something SO Lovely...
Oh my gosh, friends. I have been waiting to tell you all about this! I have the most loveliest of lovely stories.
When Cody and I were first married, we lived in an apartment downtown above a Christmas tree shop. We went to a local thrift store on a Saturday, and found a painting for $3 of the very street we lived on! So, of course we bought it. This was nearly 10 years ago, and it's hung in every home we've had together.
A few years back, Cody (my husband) noticed an inscription on the back from the artist. We always talked about seeing if we could find her. So, just last month, he googled her name. He found a thesis paper from an art student who talked about his grandmother in the paper, who was the artist from the back of the painting!
Even though it was a shot in the dark, Cody looked up the name of the guy who wrote the paper, and found him on Facebook. He messaged him, and told him about the painting. And sure enough, it was the grandson of the artist!!
He only lives about an hour and a half away from us, so we set up a time to meet and return his grandmother’s artwork to him. We shared lunch, and heard all about this piece that was done in the ‘50s!
Michael shared with us that when he was 12, he spent time with his grandmother who was in a group of women who painted scenes around town. And that was what started his own journey towards becoming a professional artist. Isn’t that incredible?!
It was unbelievably delightful to share lunch with two strangers, and just talk about art, life, and love. It reminded me of all that’s so, so good in this world.
You can check out Michael’s work HERE.
Friends, this is officially my 12th letter to you all. I’ve written to you for a whole year! I wish we could all meet up for a hot chocolate in a Christmas mug to celebrate. Thank you for being here, and for all of the encouraging words you’ve sent back to me.
I don't know where The Riverbanks will end up in 2024, but I’m so glad you’re still here. Isn’t it so amazing that we’ve ended up here together at this point in time? What a gift.
I hope you all have such Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year! I’ll see you in 2024. xoxo
Your Softie Friend,
Kiersten
P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM US!
