My (slightly delayed) Sunday Substack ~ December 28th

~ A December recap with the glimmers that have brought light and hope to my day recently ~

A quote I came across on the meditation app, Insight Timer. It seemed to have greater impact as I was moments from sharing this blog. It is one I will continue to ponder on.

Hello dear Substackers,

I was absent from posting last week's Sunday Substack due to an immensely heavy week. December has certainly brought our lot our way. I have been navigating heightened levels of stress, as I look around me and realise how much there is for my family and I to overcome.

Due to the multitude of challenges we are living with at present, Christmas week hasn't felt very Christmassy at all. It has been a combination of intermittent dozing and a bit of festive telly (which has been remarkably bad this year - Christmas Day on Film4 consisted of The Tooth Fairy and The Devil Wears Prada. The mind boggles why the TV executives couldn’t dig into the archives of endless brilliant seasonal film.)

Nonetheless, my heart is full of genuine hope. I believe things will change and I believe brighter times are imminent for us.

How have you all spent this festive week?

I hope you have all had time to rest, recharge and that you’re spending the season surrounded by those who you cherish the most in life.

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A look to the first Sunday Substack blog in October…

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Regaining The Beauty of a Painfully Neglected Art

(An Ode To Letter Writing)

The rarity of receiving a handwritten letter in the post in 2025 is a rather sad result of the technological advances of the 21st century. A couple of months ago, I had an urge to put pen to paper and write a letter to a friend whom I met during a year long hospital stay in Somerset at the age of 17, followed by a catch up letter to my lovely cousin.

I feel it to be a much more personable way of catching up with my loved ones, to communicate in this way outside of social media and in a tangible way, to actually receive a physical letter instead of a message on a screen is an entirely different experience. And how delightful (and ridiculously rare) it is to receive post through our letterbox that isn't junk mail or bills or hospital appointments. Only the desire for deeper connections with those in my life.

Last week I wrote a letter to a friend who is very much of a similar mindset in terms of getting away from the overconsumption of social media and the yearning to engage with each other in a more meaningful way.

Writing is at the top of my goals moving into this new year ~ to write letters to loved ones ~ journaling ~ blogging ~ accessing some form of work linked to writing ~

I look forward to pursuing writing in one form or another every day.

A very grainy phone photo of my chosen journals and a letter to a friend

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Finishing a Literary Classic

Late on an evening last week, I finished reading Louisa May Alcott’s absolute classic novel, Little Women. I have never read a book as overwhelmingly wholesome as this. It was an utter delight to read and as each chapter came to a close I was filled with an inordinate amount of joy, the kind that fills you up with the warmest feeling.

In the final chapter, I was overcome with emotion as I bade farewell to the March family. The written word can have the most extraordinary effect on a person, to connect with these characters through all of their idiosyncrasies and to get lost in their world is a wonderful thing indeed.

My Mum's Nan, aka Nana Charlotte gave this book to my Mum as a child and it has remained one of her most loved books. The authors and novels which we are introduced to through our family/loved ones are extremely precious, so much more than the ones we have discovered ourselves. I feel that sharing the beauty of the world of books with those around us makes its beauty immeasurable.

To read a book whose themes are rooted in family and love in the most wholesome of ways truly warmed my heart, to the point of having a good old sob as I read the final page. Thank you, Louisa May Alcott for allowing us into the world of the March sisters and of all the love and pain you illustrated through these characters, especially Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy.

In chapter 23 of Little Women part II, Alcott includes Jo's poem In The Garret, which is a bittersweet reflection and summary of the novel, it’s written incredibly beautifully, hence I have decided to include the full poem in this Substack.

In the Garret

Louisa May Alcott

Four little chests all in a row,
Dim with dust, and worn by time,
All fashioned and filled, long ago,
By children now in their prime.
Four little keys hung side by side,
With faded ribbons, brave and gay
When fastened there, with childish pride,
Long ago, on a rainy day.
Four little names, one on each lid,
Carved out by a boyish hand,
And underneath there lieth hid
Histories of the happy band
Once playing here, and pausing oft
To hear the sweet refrain,
That came and went on the roof aloft,
In the falling summer rain.

'Meg' on the first lid, smooth and fair.
I look in with loving eyes,
For folded here, with well-known care,
A goodly gathering lies,
The record of a peaceful life--
Gifts to gentle child and girl,
A bridal gown, lines to a wife,
A tiny shoe, a baby curl.
No toys in this first chest remain,
For all are carried away,
In their old age, to join again
In another small Meg's play.
Ah, happy mother! Well I know
You hear, like a sweet refrain,
Lullabies ever soft and low
In the falling summer rain.

'Jo' on the next lid, scratched and worn,
And within a motley store
Of headless dolls, of schoolbooks torn,
Birds and beasts that speak no more,
Spoils brought home from the fairy ground
Only trod by youthful feet,
Dreams of a future never found,
Memories of a past still sweet,
Half-writ poems, stories wild,
April letters, warm and cold,
Diaries of a wilful child,
Hints of a woman early old,
A woman in a lonely home,
Hearing, like a sad refrain--
'Be worthy, love, and love will come,'
In the falling summer rain.

My Beth! the dust is always swept
From the lid that bears your name,
As if by loving eyes that wept,
By careful hands that often came.
Death canonized for us one saint,
Ever less human than divine,
And still we lay, with tender plaint,
Relics in this household shrine--
The silver bell, so seldom rung,
The little cap which last she wore,
The fair, dead Catherine that hung
By angels borne above her door.
The songs she sang, without lament,
In her prison-house of pain,
Forever are they sweetly blent
With the falling summer rain.

Upon the last lid's polished field--
Legend now both fair and true
A gallant knight bears on his shield,
'Amy' in letters gold and blue.
Within lie snoods that bound her hair,
Slippers that have danced their last,
Faded flowers laid by with care,
Fans whose airy toils are past,
Gay valentines, all ardent flames,
Trifles that have borne their part
In girlish hopes and fears and shames,
The record of a maiden heart
Now learning fairer, truer spells,
Hearing, like a blithe refrain,
The silver sound of bridal bells
In the falling summer rain.

Four little chests all in a row,
Dim with dust, and worn by time,
Four women, taught by weal and woe
To love and labor in their prime.
Four sisters, parted for an hour,
None lost, one only gone before,
Made by love's immortal power,
Nearest and dearest evermore.
Oh, when these hidden stores of ours
Lie open to the Father's sight,
May they be rich in golden hours,
Deeds that show fairer for the light,
Lives whose brave music long shall ring,
Like a spirit-stirring strain,
Souls that shall gladly soar and sing
In the long sunshine after rain.

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The Most Valuable Part of Life

Family is the most precious thing we are blessed with in this life. My family is full of the most amazing individuals and I look forward to any opportunity of bonding with them further.

On Monday, my Mum and I called my dear Uncle, as he was setting off to India for two weeks the following day. Speaking to him and my Auntie truly brightened my week, it's incredible how impactful hearing the voices of our loved ones is. It brought great light to my day and indeed to my heart.

Life is too short to not speak to family and the ones we hold so dear. I thank God every day for the extraordinary people in my life and as the new year beckons. Alongside good health to all of my family, my main wish is to see my family again, chronic illness and the most challenging of circumstances has unfortunately stood in the way of this for too long.

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I have great gratitude for many things 2025 has brought me and the lessons I have learnt along the way. One being this very platform. It gives me a space to write and to reframe any obstacles of the past week from a place of hope and to focus on the light.

I am grateful for anyone who takes a moment to read what I've written and who might take time to comment and continue the conversation. I appreciate you taking time from your day to interact with my musings.

How are you all spending these remaining days of 2025?

I hope your entry into the new year is one filled with hope and staying focused on the glorious glimmers that surround us.

With hope & light always,

~ Hannah Gimblett ~ Hope in Creativity ~