Being::The Nature Candle

Being: Conscious, mortal existence; life.

Every month we welcome two families, two people, two voices to share their stories in whatever way they chose. We hope that you find joy in their daily lives, and their simple habit of just being. 

When we’re out and about on our neighborhood rambles, we just can’t help but collect things. After a walk in the woods or at the seaside, we always have handfuls of forest and beach to show for our adventures- a beautiful piece of blush colored shell, a little rock of granite, seaweed pods that prove too tempting to pass up. I smile to myself watching Coco fill her pockets with bits and pieces of nature- we’re so very much alike, and falling in the footsteps of the other women in our family. We are collectors of things, you see, and though we love blue and white plates and vintage wool blankets, I daresay natural collections are this family’s favorite kind.

During Advent, we loved the weeks celebrating minerals and plants. How beautiful it was to light our candles surrounded by our finds from the day. I love, too, the Waldorf way of honoring the seasons, and the nature tables that inspire and bring the natural world inside the home.

I’ve decided to borrow from these two beautiful traditions and to light a nature candle during our meals together- mostly at dinner, but breakfast and lunch too if it happens to be a particularly dark and wintry day. Currently in our home, there isn’t a space that works well for a nature table. Instead, our treasures fill windowsills, Coco’s play kitchen, and I’m forever finding them in the washing machine. Now, we can place our daily collections in a bowl at the base of our candle and celebrate together the natural world, the memories of our adventures, and the changing of the seasons.

And, it’s also a great reminder to empty our pockets!

Thank you to Gwen of Barn Raising for being with us all this month. We hope that you will join us every Thursday as Gwen shares her reflections, photos, and words.