Yesterday I went up to a craft fair on a mountain. It is held in the hall where my daughter got married and that now adds to its charm for me. This is my third year going to it. This year it was quite cold but there was no snow yet. I already knew my favourite potter had absconded from that mountain and moved to an island so she would not be there but I knew there would be treasures there for me.
This craft fair holds special memories for me. Once when I was there, freshly postpartum (but there without children) and with a dear friend (going to craft fairs with friends used to be the normal thing, but it is very rare now), and I ran into my old counsellor. This counsellor transformed the entire rest of my life after meeting her, and I had not seen her for years. Here I was in a little old community hall, surrounded by joy and creativity, meeting a person who had helped me find healing and strength. It was such a special moment in my life. That year I bought these little pottery vases that hung on the wall. They were for dried flowers.
The next year I went up alone and there were these young girls selling wooden candles. They were made of all different kinds of wood and so stunningly beautiful. I also chatted with my favourite potter and bought these lovely drinking cups from her. Most people know each other up there and this craft fair has elderly ladies that have made cards, who have baked, who have made so many little treasures. There are other ladies in the kitchen making lunch to sell to support the hall. This is what feels like a right world to me. This is the core of who I am.
This year I drove up, nerves raw. Each year holds challenges and the last couple years have held many challenges, so many that I have almost felt like I could not go on. This year has been hard as well. So up I drove after a very trying week, alone, and hoping that this tiny pocket of time would give me a gift. As I pulled up there was only one tiny spot in the parking lot but I managed to wedge my way in my large vehicle. The market was humming. Outside there were festively dressed ladies. One was selling beautiful tea she had crafted herself full of healing properties. Others people were laughing and reconnecting and complementing each other which is really the best. I then walked into the hall that has witnessed so much joy and celebration. The walls are steeped in it.
Right away I noticed the laughter and the joy that people were expressing. The hall was full. People were eating up on the stage even though it was only 10:30am. The potter there, named Dave, sells beautiful pottery but I had already bought the mug I wanted from him at a previous craft fair this year. It is this gorgeous sky blue mug and I haven't decided who to gift it to. I walked around looking at everything. Tiny beaded rings caught my eye, wooden owls made by the girls who had made the wooden candles were adorable, the table with all the kinds of cookies made me long for a different time when I was not celiac diseased, and the feeling of community was thick in the air. This is a feeling I find to be one of the most important. It feeds a soul deeply. I wished I was part of it. The treasure I was looking for caught my eye and I felt like I was going to cry. It was a painted canvas of an Autumn path. This year I have tried to infuse my bones with the autumn colours because I have been dreading winter and its greyness. This painting felt like it had been made for me. It ended up that the painter was a lady I knew of and who has blessed my family deeply even though I have never actually met her in person. I introduced myself and bought her masterpiece and headed to my car. I then shed a few tears wishing, wishing things that may never be, and then headed back down the mountain to my waiting needing family.
Honestly, it might not be a craft fair for you ~ maybe its live music, or maybe its a beautiful place to eat, or maybe its craft night with friends, maybe its dancing or hiking ~ but whatever it is that feeds your soul? It is worth investing your time into. Going to the craft fair with my sisters this year was so lovely for me. Going to the community halls to find treasures with my children has been sustaining for me.
I know its not winter everywhere in the world and I know not everyone has the grey winters that we have here ~ seasonal depression is not everyone's battle ~ but the Christmas season is hard for so many people. May you find a way through that surprises you with its gifts and sustenance.
May you feel blessing of wonder, and also, may you feel revived. A new year is coming and how amazing is that!
xo
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