practicing and expressing gratitude can have positive impacts on our mind, body and heart. an attitude of gratitude improves our wellbeing, enhances empathy, and encourages an optimistic outlook towards life.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎january

• i am grateful for new beginnings timed with crescent moons.
• i am grateful for windows that cede to the sound of birdsong.

• wake every morning with gratitude for the blessing of life.
• offer a kind word to bloom in someone's heart like a flower.
• speak kindly to yourself so you may speak kindly to others.
• help carry the burdens of others as a breeze lifts the leaves.
• embrace your silence, allow others to share their own stories.
• let hope become a light to someone lost in the darkness.
• use kindness as your compass, go where it leads your heart.
• use your words like a river, flowing gently yet unwaveringly.
• walk barefoot on the grass, connect with the earth beneath.
• be mindful of each footprint you leave behind on this earth.

• a: astonishment ⋅ auroras ⋅ affections ⋅ angels ⋅ autumn
• b: blossoms ⋅ bookshelves ⋅ blueberries ⋅ ballet ⋅ butterflies
• c: clovers ⋅ cottages ⋅ curiosity ⋅ candles ⋅ constellations
• d: delight ⋅ dandelions ⋅ daydreams ⋅ dewdrops ⋅ daffodils
• e: evergreen ⋅ eucalyptus ⋅ empathy ⋅ evenings ⋅ ephemeral
• f: forests ⋅ feathers ⋅ forget-me-nots ⋅ friends ⋅ fireflies ⋅ fawns
• g: gardening ⋅ green tea ⋅ gratitude ⋅ golden hour ⋅ gentleness
• h: hummingbirds ⋅ hyacinths ⋅ hope ⋅ honeysuckle ⋅ hues
• i: ivy vines ⋅ instrospection ⋅ irises ⋅ incense ⋅ imagination
• j: joy ⋅ jardinières ⋅ jasmines ⋅ journaling ⋅ january ⋅ jokes
• k: kisses ⋅ keepsakes ⋅ kindness ⋅ kn...

• farmer: roux ⋅ spring 11.
• farm: rosarie farm ⋅ hilltop ✦
• favourite thing: roseleaf tea.
• relationship: elliott, the poet ⋅ boyfriend.
  • loves: feathers, ink, pomegranates.
• friends: leah, the artist ⋅ robin, the carpenter.
• pets: rouge ⋅ cat / rosavelt ⋅ horse.
• favourite places: cindersap forest ⋅ elliott's cabin.
• animals:
  • poultry: raisha ⋅ rubra ⋅ roisin ⋅ rhodie ⋅ ritter
  • cattle: rubie ⋅ russet ⋅ rachis ⋅ ramah ⋅ ratcho
  • ovine: rusula ⋅ rosier ⋅ romeo ⋅ rosanna ⋅ raubritt

• dance of the willis · giselle, act ii · adolphe adam. ✦
  • a moonlit forest glade is haunted by vengeful spirits of betrayed brides called willis. their beautiful dance ritual hypnotises trespassers to their death.
• balcony pas de deux · romeo and juliet · prokofiev. ✦
  • strings surge with an adolescent fervor as forbidden lovers unite under the starlight, their urgency melting into tenderness, then shattering with the sunrise.
• chambre · manon, act i · macmillan / massenet. ✦
  • in a shabby attic lit only by the moonlight, this pas de deux evolves slowly, just as the characters blur the line between tenderness and possessiveness.

therefore i am: birds singing in the early morning ⋅ chamomile tea with honey ⋅ claude monet paintings ⋅ flowers that grow against all odds in harsh places ⋅ public libraries ⋅ reading books while sitting by a window ⋅ evenings at the ballet with my friends ⋅ lavender perfume ⋅ raindrops tapping gently on the roof ⋅ receiving handwritten letters ⋅ nurturing plants into flourishing ⋅ first dates at the café ⋅ old music boxes with twirling ballerinas inside ⋅ identifying constellations ⋅ french and italian opera ⋅ freshly picked blueberries ⋅ old photographs of family members ⋅ the scent of the earth after rain ⋅ barefoot dancing ⋅ gentlemen that open doors for you ⋅ the full moon in a clear night ⋅ frederic chopin ⋅ the pages of a well-worn journal ⋅ afternoon naps ⋅ beginner-friendly pottery classes

my name is florrie. (she/her) i am an april-born daydreamer, quiet-talker and rabbit-hearted girl. i am an enthusiast of handwritten letters, secret gardens, old music boxes, overgrown cottages, forgotten journals, and all things that can safekeep memories. i enjoy reading poems, picking flowers, drinking tea, daydreaming, listening to orchestras, and writing little notes about it all.

• delighting in: the soft aureate glow of candlelight on porcelain
• paying attention to: raindrops tracing lines down the window
• spending time on: filling the blank pages of a new notebook
• listening to: the easy silence of a resting neighbourhood
• indulging in: warm honey cakes with a measure of cardamom
• visiting: nowhere but the gentle comfort of my own bed
• practising: receiving a compliment gracefully, without demur
• looking forward to: a new year, with hope that it will be gentle

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎january

a soft morning rain tracing silver lines down the window ⋅ the weight and scent of a new journal ⋅ the way the lamplight gilds the cobblestones at six o'clock ⋅ handmaking ceramic candleholders

• forget the map. follow the moss on the north side of the trees.
• kiss the sunlight until my shadow grows warm and long.
• carry less. what is vital will find its own way to my pockets.
• greet my reflection with the kindness owed to a stranger.
• find forgiveness in the small: the missed bus, the lost keys.
• unclench my hands. accept both feathers and stones as gifts.
• befriend the version of me that everyone else seems to know.
• build a room in the mind where the weather is still. visit often.

the bible in a year is a reading plan and audio series that guides you through the entire catholic bible in 365 days, organised by historical periods. this allows you to follow the complete biblical narrative, where the core scriptures tell the story, supplementary passages provide context, the gospels show their fulfilment, and the wisdom books inspire individual contemplation. you can listen here: ✦

— jan 01 ⋅ jan 26: early world & the patriarchs

• ▢ narrative readings: genesis 1–50 📖
• ▢ supplementary readings: job 1–42
• ▢ wisdom: psalms 1-2, 16-17, 19, 104, 136; proverbs 1–4

— jan 27 ⋅ feb 15: egypt & the exodus

• ▢ narrative readings: exodus 1–40; leviticus 1–27
• ▢ wisdom: psalms 44-50, 53, 71, 73-79, ...

i believe that poetry is the most beautiful expression of human creativity. every month i select five favourites of the poems that i have recently read. they are often about hope and wonderment, the beauty of nature, and humanity's shared love for this world.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎january

• the year, ella wheeler wilcox ✦
• a winter bluejay, sara teasdale ✦

• antiques: porcelain teacups · leather books · pressed flowers
• architecture: stained glass · wrought iron · arched doorways
• baked goods: croissants · scones · madeleines · brioche
• birds: hummingbirds · nightingales · rain doves · robins
• colours: periwinkle ⋅ mauve ⋅ porcelain ⋅ gainsboro ⋅ lilac
• desserts: blueberry cake ⋅ macaroons ⋅ shortbread cookie
• feelings: connection with nature ⋅ a contentment in stillness
• flowers: hyacinths ⋅ roses ⋅ lavender ⋅ baby's breath ⋅ wisteria
• garden features: trellises · bird baths · stone pathways
• hobbies: reading ⋅ pottery ⋅ flower-picking ⋅ journaling
• insects: fireflies · ladybugs · dragonflies · ...

• when she enters a room, she meows at everyone present.
• she smells every new flower that blossoms in the garden.
• hates visitors and bites them when she wants them gone.
• climbs fruit trees, then meows to be brought down.
• only hunts the bugs and critters that are colourful and pretty.
• enjoys being carried stomach up, like one carries a baby.
• prefers to drink from the watering can than from her bowl.
• is terrified of fireworks, but calms herself when music plays.
• squeaks, purrs, and hums when she is dreaming.
• poses elegantly when someone approaches with a camera.

• 0101: holy theotokos, mother of god
• 0401: the epiphany of the lord
• 1101: the baptism of the lord
  • the beginning of ordinary time
• 2401: ocia classes resume ✦
• 0202: the presentation of the lord
• 1802: ash wednesday
  • the beginning of lent
• 1903: saint joseph, husband of mary
• 2203: retreat ✦
• 2503: the annunciation of the lord
• 2903: palm sunday of the lord's passion
  • the beginning of holy week
• 0204: holy thursday of the lord’s supper

• le jardin de capulet · roméo et juliette, mvmt ii · berlioz. ✦
  • the capulets' garden is silent and deserted, until it is filled with the sound of the young capulets leaving the banquet singing snatches of music from the ball.
• allegro giocoso · symphony no. 4, mvmt iii · brahms. ✦
  • a sudden eruption of triumphant energy, pounding like a victorious dance, before slowly yielding to a soft trio of woodwinds, tinged with a soft melancholy.
• con grazia · symphonie no. 6, mvmt ii · tchaikovsky. ✦
  • a graceful waltz set in an unusual rhythm, where you can almost feel the sorrow gliding across the ballroom, like a young dancer with a broken heart.
• poco allegretto · symphony no. 3, mvmt iii · brahms. ✦
  • once described by clara schumann as “a ...

• miniature pie tarts with a blueberry filling ✦
• blueberry macarons with a cheesecake filling ✦
• blackberry and lavender macarons with lemon filling ✦
• the best chocolate chip cookies of all time (really) ✦
• buttery shortbread cookie with blueberry jam ✦
• raspberry crumb bars with a sweet jam filling ✦