It's been almost a month since I've written here and I regret that. Life and the news have kept me busy, drawing attention away from my usual haunts and habits. And that's a good thing I suppose; busyness is better than boredom, though the latter has its attractions. Still, no one wants to get to the end of their life and looking back say, "how boring."
And today is a special day, my favorite day of the year in fact, when the earth begins another voyage around the sun, the light returns, and our days once again grow longer. That light is especially welcome, given all we are facing.
But despair is not welcome here today. Begone Omicron! Begone Joe Manchin! 'Tis the season of light, and my tree is lit and decorated, the gifts are wrapped, and all the elements for Christmas day's stuffing are tucked safely into the fridge. And it's looking like a white Christmas in Oregon as snow is expected, along with temperatures as low as 13F. Yikes.
For those of us who celebrate the holiday it's a season deeply tied to traditions and memories. For me it's the carols I learned as a child and sang in choirs into adulthood. For my mother it was "not Christmas until I hear Bing Crosby sing "White Christmas." In her honor I recently sat through yet another replay of that now sixty-year old movie. Hmmm. Some traditions may be allowed to die.
But today is the Winter Solstice, a more important date in my book, and this evening I will light every candle I can find and express my thanks to the Earth for not straying from its orbit while continuing to feed and support us, and to the sun for continuing to share its golden light with all the life the Earth contains. This welcome light won't solve our problems but it will make them easier to see. As Amada Gorman wrote:
The new dawn blooms as we free it,
For there is always light,
If only we're brave enough to see it,
If only we're brave enough to be it.
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