It was very unexpected. I hadn't anticipated it. Given the chaos and unpredictability of the previous six weeks, I had, frankly, given up trying to plan anything. Keeping my head above the water (just), and trying not to go under with the 'flu and the daily building disasters, was as much as I was capable of. And yet, there it was: a gift on Christmas Day. Where all seemed immobile, frozen, lost in stillness, there was the faint but unmistakeable murmur of the stream underneath. Yes, it was soft and muted - but alive and flowing it was. We smiled at each other, wordlessly recognising our shared thought and gentle rejoicing.
This is the beginning of the story of my word for this year. How it will shape me and flow through me, as my parents come to live with us, our second grandchild makes his or her way into the world, and my current work either comes to an end or unfolds into something else, I have no idea. But there is a promise in it ...
Wishing you all a very happy and creative year ...