The devotion of a young maid, the courage of her groom-to-be, the birth of the precious little One, in a manger of all places. It’s a story that’s both well worn and brand new with every telling...
Read moreThe Sounds of Christmas
When I think about the beauty of Christmas, one of the first things that comes to mind is the music.
I still remember every word and note of the Christmas album my parents played every year once the tree was up and decorated. As an adult, I was thrilled to find an old recording of the album...
Read moreOne Way to Add More Meaning to Christmas
Several years ago, my husband and I asked ourselves this question: how could we make our family’s Christmas season more meaningful? We didn’t want to just give each other and our daughter a pile of presents. We wanted to simplify the gift-giving part of our celebration and also tie it into the story of Christ’s birth.
He started doing a little research and shared an idea with me. Why not use the model of the wise men’s three gifts as our own?
Read moreThe Fragrance of the Holidays
The holiday season is filled with beauty. Everywhere I look, there it is. I’ll be writing about different types of beauty throughout this month, but I wanted to start with fragrance in today’s post.
We don’t typically think of the sense of smell as a way of experiencing beauty. But what a gift it is! And it heightens the beauty of the Christmas season for me.
Read moreMaking a List at Thanksgiving
Giving thanks can be an occasional thing, but gratitude is a state or feeling. It’s a discipline worth cultivating.
Read moreWords of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth, and Hope
Here at Glimsen, I share glimpses of the beauty around us—whether in nature, in the arts, or in the unexpected.
Lately, beauty of any kind can seem unexpected since we see and hear so much ugliness on TV and social media.
Today, as an antidote, perhaps, I want to offer up some words of beauty, goodness and truth, as well as hope.
Read moreA Fresco in Lugano
It was a gray, overcast morning as I walked along the waterfront of Lake Lugano through the Belvedere Gardens. Two rows of trees created a thick, green canopy overhead and a temporary shelter from the drizzle. In an hour or so, downtown Lugano would fill up with people everywhere: in the Gardens and shops, the sidewalk cafes, and pedestrian-only streets and plazas.
Read moreThe Color of Fall
Photo by Hide Obara | Unsplash
It’s finally beginning to feel like fall here. The leaves have just started changing, and there’s a chill in the air.
Fall used to be one of my least favorite seasons because it means that summer is officially over, winter is coming, and orange, my least favorite color, is as ubiquitous as, well, pumpkin-flavored-everything.
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