Yesterday was the last sunny day for awhile. We’re in for a week’s worth of rain. On one of the clear days we were able to build a fire outside. Nothing like sitting around a fire on a cold, autumn day to warm the heart and hands.

My woolies (also known as wool long johns) arrived this week. I bought some for Zoey to keep her warm on her nature days at school when she is outside all day rain or shine. She complains about wearing them sometimes, but I put mine on and I wanted to keep mine on all the time. I bought them from novanatural.com. They are made from wool and silk and feel so soft.

I’ve been reading Sharifa Oppenheimer’s book Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children. It was recommended by Zoey’s Waldorf teacher. I have never read anything by Rudolf Steiner, nor am I very familiar with Waldorf philosophy, so I thought it would be helpful to read some books about it. There’s a chapter in the book about creating daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms. One of her suggestions is to light a candle at bedtime. I lit a candle tonight and Zoey and Zane were mesmerized by the light and shadows created on the walls of their dark bedroom. Zoey asked if we could light a candle every night.

As the month began I started to wonder why I always feel so hurried this time of year and after all this time I finally figured out why. As we move towards winter solstice, the days are getting shorter. There really is less daylight to get things done. And acknowledging that made me feel better because if I’m in rhythm with the season, then I can slow down and be present to the changes.