“Oh you beauty,” I said softly to the lussekatter dough when I went to see how it had risen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was -8 F when I made the stuff–that’s about -22 for you Celsius pals–and the house is chilly and dry. It’s thick socks weather, extra lotion weather, hot beverages at every turn weather. It is also apparently weather that my lussekatter love, because I have rarely seen the dough this enthusiastic. I also remembered–I should not admit this to you all, but I will–to put on the egg wash. So they are extra-nice, really. Golden and shiny and just as they should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So something<\/em> in the world is just as it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s part of why we do this, right? There’s so much we can’t make right. I can’t bring a friend back to life, but I can bring saffrony goodness to another friend, his widow, and help her with a chore. It’s good, in the dark times, to reach for the concrete things we can do, and use them as fuel for the harder, less certain things. To light small candles and use them to find our way to the bigger ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have had to give myself extra quiet in this dark time. I’ve had to leave room to find a little more peace, because I’ve needed that room, and not giving it to myself wouldn’t mean I didn’t need it. Compounding grief with cruelty is never the way–even when it’s directed at oneself. So–small kindnesses, this year, on the road to bigger ones. For ourselves, and for those we can reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy Santa Lucia Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2023: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=3875<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2022: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=3654<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2021: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=3366<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2020: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=2953<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2019: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=2654<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2018: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=2376<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2017: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=1995<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2016: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=1566<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2015: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=1141<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2014: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=659<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2013: https:\/\/marissalingen.com\/blog\/?p=260<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2012: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/840172.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2011: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/796053.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2010: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/749157.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2009: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/686911.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2008: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/594595.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2007: https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/2007\/12\/12\/<\/a> and https:\/\/mrissa.dreamwidth.org\/502729.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n