— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎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 ⋅ a conversation with an old friend about night-blooming flowers ⋅ painting my nails a milky white colour ⋅ welcoming a new priest into our parish ⋅ waking from my after-lunch naps to find the bedroom lit by a soft pink sunset ⋅ the early arrival of grape season.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎february

the hush of a house before anyone wakes ⋅ starting an unexpected new job ⋅ lighting a candle for someone far away ⋅ writing in the margins of an old book⋅ the first sip of tea, still too hot ⋅ a child's drawing pinned to the fridge ⋅ finding the perfect word after searching for it⋅ reading the same paragraph three times, happily ⋅ a gentle goodbye to a very beloved friend ⋅ a stack of letters tied with string ⋅ embroidering a small blue bird onto linen ⋅ folding laundry.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎march

the softness of a well-worn cardigan ⋅ rearranging the little statues on the windowsill ⋅ the first taste of a new tea blend ⋅ an old song on the radio that undoes me a little ⋅ watching a candle's wax pool and harden ⋅ a photograph of my grandmother as a young woman ⋅ watching light move slowly across the floor ⋅ choosing a new brown-coloured ink for my pen ⋅ tracing the grain of a wooden table with my palm ⋅ walking the way home without thinking.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎april

a letter that arrives just as i was thinking of them ⋅ writing a list of small mercies ⋅ the smell of clean linen fresh from the line ⋅ the sound of my own name spoken warmly ⋅