Wonder and Possibility

Happy New Year! Yesterday morning while the sun rose, I jotted notes for a blog post and then met friends for breakfast. When I returned, my computer unraveled. I suppose five years is a good run for a laptop but I want mine to last longer. This morning the machine is slow and cranky. Technology is great when it works and frustrating when it doesn't.

When I talked to the Connecticut crew on New Year's Day, Emmet read me his list of things to do in 2019. His Mom told him "nothing was off the table" so he dreams of seeing the inside of the Statue of Liberty, The Museum of Natural History in NYC, attending a baseball game, and visiting his favorite people, including my husband and I. He made my day. I like a dreamer of possibilities. 

Instead of goals or resolutions, I choose a word to ponder through the year. Words from the past continue to inform my life in a way that goals or resolutions do not. "Light," my 2018 word will hold an extra special place in my heart. Little Norah Jane arrived in September. Her name derives in part from a Hebrew word meaning light. I chose that word before I even knew she existed. Watching her grow and change is a lesson in light and wonder.

Last week, I gathered my notes about "light." I began with scientific definitions and ended with spiritual meanings. Light is a physical science concept concerning electromagnetic radiation and wave length. Don't ask me what that means because I can't tell you without more research. Light makes color and vision possible. Very bright intense light can cause fire. Quakers believe light is a divine presence in all of us. One can shine a light, be a light, and/or reflect the light of others.

This year I am off on a journey of "wonder." Wonder originated from the Old English word, wundrian, meaning "to be affected with astonishment." The word also has roots in Old High German, Middle High German, Old Dutch, Old Saxon, and Old Frisian. I love the idea that many ancient people used a word to express a sense of astonishment. And so in 2019, I will wonder about possibilities.   

Although my computer unraveled, my knitting did not. I continue to work on both the Christmas socks and the shawl. The shawl is a peaceful knit for evenings on the couch. I did get the Archer sweater cast on but haven't much knitting to show. I also knit my son-in-law a pair of fingerless mitts for his January birthday. I hope they fit as I guessed on size. Eventually when each photo doesn't take five minutes (or more) to download and transfer, I'll make a Ravelry project page. I used the Tin Can Knits, "The World's Simplest Mitten Pattern" modifying them to be fingerless. 

I finished reading The Hello Girls, a very interesting story about the Signal Corps telephone operators in France during WW1. The author includes the history of Women's Suffrage as a related story. She ends with the sixty year struggle of these women to be recognized as veterans of the U.S. Army. Eventually after most died, a hearty few found a compassionate attorney who filed a law suit. Together they achieved the recognition and benefits they had earned. I also read our book group January selection, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. I look forward to discussing the life of the main character, a Chinese woman whose family picked tea, and the baby girl she left at an orphanage for adoption. See's first line, "No coincidence, no story," uttered by the mother of the main character warns the reader that the story will be quite neat and tidy.

I am currently reading my Christmas book, So Far So Good, the last book of poetry Ursula K. LeGuin published.  She sent the revised manuscript to the copy editor on January 15, 2018 and died on January 22, 2018. Many poems are set in California area where she lived and most are about "extreme old age." They are beautiful and poignant.

A day late but still linking to Kat and the Unravelers. Click on over to read about some interesting reading and knitting.