Winter Barnphotograph by K. Marszycki
Winter solstice is approaching . . .
A quiet time of year, one would think. But with the holidays we are forced into a breakneck pace to prepare, shop, cook, travel, visit, clean -- and then drop in exhaustion. Our bodies are still adjusting to the time change and the loss of sunlight. We have trouble sleeping, our minds crowded with lists and lists of lists of more things to do.
Winter solstice is approaching . . .
In centuries past, it was a time of darkness, lit only by candles and fires. Warm corners and rich foods were sought and the starkness of winter whiteness was softened by gatherings of natural greens and red berries, symbols of the natural world and of renewal.
Winter solstice is approaching . . .
Can we slow the pace down? Can we seek quiet corners and warm fires? Instead of gold and silver, can we festoon our homes with holly and juniper, perhaps play the music of earlier times when human voices soared high up into the rafters, across rooftops and deep into the night, as if to keep the darkness at bay.
Winter solstice is approaching . . . and I wish you peace, paix, paz, pax . . .
