Monday, December 21, 2009

Shortest Day - Longest Night

Today, officially the first day of winter though family members in New York and New Jersey might have a few things to say about that, marks a turning once again toward light. Even tomorrow we will notice the days have become longer. Tonight, though, darkness will hover around our tiny flames of warmth and hope and light if only on a metaphorical plane.
In darkness we seek light and the Winter Solstice has historically created light and mystery and even magic all to get us through this oh so long night.
I don't think we are all that far removed from our bonfires and drums and primal fears. These days we tend to mask the fears and silence the drums with all the brightness electricity can offer but still at comfort's penumbra flicker the flames of our sputtering torches.
We know that darkness threatens even now.
Tomorrow, though, we will turn more toward the sun's warmth until finally in the middle of summer we will say enough of this light and heat and yearn once more for the cold, shortness of our dark December days to once again as always turn toward light.
It's a circle and a cycle. Life is like that. The light always comes. It will again. In the meantime, let's huddle together to tell tales of remembering and surviving.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

For myself, personally, I have never once wished for a cold day or night. The underrated but true miracle of the winter season is the electric blanket.