DragonFly: Winter Solstice

Welcome Winter Solstice!

Woke up this morning at 7:30 and there was a blazing red streak of light on my wall. It's magical purity amazed me and I jumped out of bed, opened the blinds and threw back the curtain. The 1st day of the winter solstice had arrived in a beautiful triumphant red glory, coming over the ocean and rooftops of Newburyport and into my eyes. It was an amazing feeling. I looked right into the sun as it slowly creeped up, and watched as the red light eventually faded to pinks and then into pure white light. The shortest day and the longest night. The transition of seasons to winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer south of the equator, with the sun shining directly on the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer respectively. A time of deep freezes, warm hearths and introspection.
The solstice marks a turning point in seasons, and for New England, a time for hibernation, dark nights and new beginnings. The last couple of days, other than unconsciously putting on George Winston's musical celebrations called December and A Winter's Solstice, I have noticed various symbolic things, like twinkling lights, electric candles in windows, representing fire as the promise of spring, mistletoe which reminds us that life still flourishes, even during the dark, cold winter, and holiday feasts, reminescent of ancient times when eating big helped get through a lean winter. At a Christmas party yesterday, the shortest day, and a day I had problems with in the past due to seasonal melancholia, there were 2 new babies, representing new life became a symbol of the new sun, new hopes, new dreams. Also, right after the sun set, 2 friends ( Mark & Amy) stopped by with freshly baked cookies and hugs, and that made the shortest day brighter too. The evergreen trees and the small, but resilient Chickadee ( one of my very favorite birds) were proof of life endeared during, even in a deep freeze. The festive party table packed with comfort foods, foods from other wonderful cultures, and cookies and baked treats all made by individuals as gifts to others in the sharing of the bounty, a community sharing in the winter feast, sharing a joyous time of laughs and caring, making for warmth and strength to carry through the cold, dark season.

The seasons in transition making me aware of my own transitions through life. A time to ponder my own changing seasons. Like night and day, good and evil, sweet and sour, and how each passing year adds to the rich tapestry of my life. Of Christmas's past, present and future. Where have I been, where am I going? Who will be there in my life and who won't? Hoping for the very best for my friends and loved ones for the years to come and to being able to share many more Christmas trees and cookies. That is my candle in the dark, to light the sad places, to bring hope, laughter and life to those I love. To let them know, that even though I don't say it often and I hide behind my "I'm OK" mask, that I love them with my whole being.

The time to live is today. The time to love is now.