The Solstice celebration of 2024

 

A pliable hunk of vanilla wafer crumbs, cocoa, ground nuts, honey, vanilla extract, rum and confectioner's sugar.

They firmed up in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then went in a tin to join the other deserts at the pot-luck. Salads and chocolate were the theme of the meal! 

All the women brought gifts to give away, and a dish to share. There were salads, and deserts mainly!

Some baked goods were gluten free also (not for me though). I was a gluten glutton!

While waiting for others to arrive, I got a good snap of the sweet tree in Linda's home. Here with Patty.

Linda, Amanda and Patty were ok to be photographed. I got permission to post their images here first!

After a meditation in the dark, we shared what places we remembered from before the storms. The central candle gave us the flame for each smaller one, with our sharing of deep feelings together. Our central theme was how the Asheville area had so much loss from Hurricane Helene last September 27. All the people, trees, animals, buildings, even mountain-sides had changed.  And we wished for continuing strength and help in returning lives to something closer to normal. But we all are changed, and it's a marathon of work to bring everyone to safe lives again.

I was thrilled to meet new women, though I won't remember most of their names. It was a wonderful experience to sing solstice songs which Linda led.