MARGARET'S
MUSINGS MARGARET'S
MUSINGS With all the hectic social activity of Christmas and New Year behind us, January and February of each year often seem to be dreary, chill months. But there are compensations. The evenings are longer now, and garden beds are beginning to sprout tiny shoots - a reminder that spring is on the horizon. As I write this, it is a lovely sunny day, and the white-peaked North Shore mountains stand silhouetted against a bright blue sky.
Perhaps it will rain tomorrow, but today is gorgeous - and precious because it is so fleeting. It seems a fitting metaphor when one thinks about how we tend to dwell on past experiences, happy or sad as they may be, or tumble headlong into feverish plans for the future, often forgetting that today is ours to enjoy. The thought cheers me and makes these early months of the year seem a great deal less drab and humdrum.
February is also a month for lovers - both young and old - as they celebrate St Valentine's Day. The gift of sharing our lives with those we love goes beyond the romantic head-in-the-clouds relationship of youth (wonderfully idyllic though it is!), to a deeper, stronger bond of understanding, respect and kindliness. Despite the commercial hoopla surrounding St. Valentine's Day, it's the simple, tender gesture that counts. Like handing a dear one a single rose for instance, or even offering a more practical gift - such as volunteering to share the burden of some onerous household chore.
We will soon be on the threshold of Easter, celebrating perhaps the most significant event of the Christian calendar. Even for those who are not conventionally "religious" this is a time of renewal, an affirmation of the cycle of life, death and resurrection, and a resurgence of body, mind and spirit.
Turning to this issue of the Newsletter, we hope you enjoy the contents - news, views, and items to amuse and entertain you. Our June issue will include the proceedings of the AGM, and a social calendar for up-coming events in 2002. I also look forward to getting your letters, articles, recipes, travel tales and anything and everything you'd like to share with our readers. So keep 'em coming folks!
Cheers,
Margaret