Before I sat to write, I lit two candles—one on my altar table to the left of my chair, and the other on my Virgin Mary altar a short distance from where I sit.
Last March, Virgin Mary had an accident when my husband and I were moving things about my office. It was one of those moments when I just knew—when I knew not to set her precariously on a pillow on top of my roller chair. I knew in that moment it wouldn’t end well. And so she toppled when my husband yanked the chair. She hit the roller leg and split perfectly in half. She’s repaired now by a Japanese Kintsugi artist and her gold belt is now an adornment, not something one might think of as a “fix-it” mark.
I have no idea why the Virgin Mary came to mind, other than she’s in view and had a do-over. She’s calm and serene, holding the infant Jesus in her arms. Her start over last year inspires my 2021—we all get a do-over, an opportunity to move on.
Last night as I sat in New Mexico on Zoom with my gal pals back in Ames, Iowa, just before the clock struck midnight Tracy said, “think of only positive things to bring in the New Year. Open your door and let 2020 out.” Everyone in Ames scurried to open their doors. I was upstairs in my husband’s office and could only open a window. As the five of us sat for a moment in silence, a tickle of chill air rushed by me—it felt as the breeze dispelled 2020. And as we came together at 12:01 and chattered about the upcoming, I felt cleansed. My aura and psyche felt anew.