Light is returning
Last night, I thought to myself, "Isn't it about time for the solstice?" But then I forgot to check. Fortunately, SarahP reminded me this morning. Thanks, Sarah!
The winter solstice here in the northern hemisphere occurred this morning at 4:04 a.m. California time, about six hours ago.
From here on in, days will be getting longer, for us. Thank goodness. (With the usual apologies to Southern Hemispherians for whom days will now be getting shorter.)
This has not been the best year ever for me, though it's had some very bright spots. And it finally occurred to me the other day that my general disconnection from everything lately might be due at least in part to one of my once-regular but not so common lately bouts of Winter Blahs. More on all that anon.
But for now, in celebration of our all having made it through to another solstice, here once again are my favorite lines from Susan Cooper's poem "The Shortest Day":
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And here, as a bonus, is a verse from the (unrelated) song from which I drew this entry's title:
Light is returning
Even though this is the darkest hour
No one can hold back the dawn
--from Charlie Murphy's "Light Is Returning"
Sadly, I can't find an online purchasable recording of that song--I only know it from the Rise Up Singing teaching CDs. It appeared on the 1984 album Canticles of Light (by Charlie Murphy, Jami Sieber, Pat Wright, and the Total Experience Gospel Choir), but the album appears to be out of print, and isn't on the iTunes Store. Oh, well.
In these dark times, I hope that light is returning to all of you who could use a little more light.
