Lanterns

Yesterday was the festival of Martinmas, which we have celebrated with a lantern walk since Skaterboy was tiny. Now that the kids are in school I have slacked off being the one to do the the festivals because frankly, the school does them better, and I almost forgot about poor old St. Martin altogether.













But I did remember, sort of late-ish, that our old homeschooling friends had invited us to a lantern walk at a park, and I thought we should go. Weird as this may sound, because I am packing to move, I found everything I needed at the tips of my fingers for lantern making. We painted and created beautiful lanterns in quick time, and even squeezed in my friend Lise's (who makes my favorite earrings) holiday show too.



















Alas, for the rain, because rain and lanterns don't mix, we didn't go to the park with our friends. The twins weren't disappointed at all, and they really embraced the whole thing in such a way that it became an event. They had learned a lantern song at school, which they began to sing, and we lit their lanterns as it grew dark, and they led us all around the house singing. It felt sort of like a reverse home blessing too, because we are leaving, and we visited each dark room and lit it with our lights.



















After dinner the rain had stopped and we took the little girls out for a quick walk. Those lanterns were so pretty in the fall dark with the little figures bobbing along ahead of us and little piping voices singing, leaves all on the sidewalk and the air crisp. It doesn't take much sometimes, to make a day memorable, and I really have my sweet twins to thank for this one. Oh, and of course, St. Martin.















*Each of us is one small light, but together we shine bright........*