Archive - November 2023

Yuletide Blessings to all my wonderful friends,
This letter brings my heartfelt wishes for a truly joyous holiday season and an
abundant New Year. In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21st is the time of
the longest night. The Winter Solstice is universally honored with lights the world
over. People have burned Yule logs and oil lamps, candles and bonfires. Currently
electric lights are strung around our homes. My mother used to tell me as a child
that these traditions reassured us that days of longer sunlight would be returning.
Yet there is much to appreciate about darkness. Indigenous wisdom holds that
darkness is simply the other side of light and there is great creative power in the
dark void. Lisa Thiel’s lyrics capture this knowing:

On the longest night, we search for the light

And we find it deep within

As we open our eyes, we embrace what is wise
And see the light of our souls shining
Enter the night and you’ll find the light
That will carry you to your dreams
Enter the night; let your spirit take flight
In the field of infinite possibilities
From Lisa Thiel, Circle of the Seasons CD

Leonard Cohen’s line in his famous song Anthem touches an essential truth:
“There’s a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.

I love to start my day with Thanksgiving. I believe as we count our good fortunes it attracts blessings.  Al would say what we give our attention multiplies.  I also like to count my blessings during times of challenge and emotional distress. It changes the channel from counting disturbances to counting joys.  I typically start my morning with “Thank you Father for a day.”  I am then thankful for birds that sing as I watch them fly through the sanctuary skies against a backdrop of beautiful mountains.

I am thoughtful of the magnificence of nature and the amazing power of Divine Forces to create and shape our material reality giving me the benefit of each breath. I am thankful for a hot cup of good coffee and I celebrate life with dogs and friends.