Winter Solstice
As the light reaches its turning point in the depth of surrounding darkness, another year comes to an end. It is the time we gather with family and friends to celebrate our respective holidays and traditions. If we are fortunate, we feast together with favorite foods, stories, and games for the young and old.
No matter the cultural tradition we find ourselves returning to, there is a sacred feeling that emanates in the songs, spices and rhythms of the season. Buried deep within, and hidden from the grips of commercialism, are the quiet moments of remembrance—times when life seemed more connected, quieter, and simpler. Of course there were hardships too. The losses that linger, the scarcity that lives in our grandparents’ bones and the stories they tell in our own. Do you believe those buried stories are worth digging for?
I do.
Because as full as our modern life is, one thing cries out from the mountain of ‘things we accumulate’ and that is loneliness.
The truth is most people feel very lonely during the winter holidays, even among family they go to visit. There is a longing to be known, to be seen, to be understood, to be loved that seems to echo through generations. What if the loneliness you feel is not only yours? What if some of it belongs to Ancestors who migrated from their homelands, by choice or by force?
Torn from their roots, unexpressed grief travels from their hearts and into yours. Grief now whispered to you in the darkness which tries to remember the light.
So, when you find yourself sitting in the silent night of winter, may you listen. Listen to the whispers of your Ancestors who never forgot how to bring the light back through song, through prayer, through offerings, and through ceremony.
Because now, maybe more than ever, we need to be re-membered by the whispers of our Ancestors’ prayers—longings that brought us into being.
May we all carry the light forward into our dark world, for the future of our shared grandchildren.
_______________________
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Solstice
Rajab Mubarak
God Yul
Merry Christmas
Buon Natale
Feliz Navidad
Happy Kwanzaa
Happy New Year
