Jaime Mathis and The Words

For Thanksgiving week, my boys and I rented a house on airbnb in Kirkland, Washington so Tobias could work in the Redmond office while America feasted. We had Thanksgiving a week early in Portland for many reasons, but mostly so my sisters and their husbands could celebrate it twice. Also, because my Danish husband still works for Europeans and they don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all. Kirkland, Washington has many qualities to recommend it, not least of which is Cafe Juanita , which serves seductive Italian food. But this is not a tale of delicious meals nor a commentary on cultural differences. This is a story of holiday miracles and technology. Namely, my Nokia Lumia 1020. Let me state for the record that I am not good with cell phones. I drop them, lose them, scratch them and most of all, am certain it's not healthy to be in constant contact with cellular radiation. The only reason I own one is because I have a child and a husband who occasionally require instant ...

The first night that Daylight Savings kicks in is a magical time. After a full day of light, the darkness falls suddenly, closing in around the open hours of summertime. Crisp air starts its blunt slice through lungs and all I want to do is build a fire. I've had dreams of bonfires and festivals greeting the shifting seasons, but the closest I've come was a last minute invitation to a Samhain ceremony with some witchy friends in Los Angeles. Granted, that was a powerful experience, but I've been looking for something practicable and accessible that I can bring to my family. This year, Tobias crafted a simple and poignant ceremony to welcome in Autumn. After Espen was bathed and jammied up, we bundled him in a cozy blanket and headed into our back yard. Darkness shrugged around our shoulders and called our eyes into the trees. A fire was burning, solitary and vibrant in the rain soaked night. We walked the path we'd made that summer to the special spot where our un...