Solstice

Today is the official beginning of winter. After our luxurious snow on November 30 and our subsequent joyful playing in it, it slowly melted away to nothing and was never replenished. Sigh. It's brown here. And gray. And not terribly jolly.

Where is our winter?

Hopefully it will not make up for lost time at the end of the season when all we really want is spring to come.

In the meantime, I take solace in the knowledge that from here on out the days will get longer. The sun will rise a little earlier each day and set a little later each night. It will slowly get easier to get out of bed in the morning because it will be light enough to tell my brain that it is morning. And I look forward with a positive outlook to the coming new year and my entrance into the age of 32 (seriously?).

2011 was a good year for me. It was not a good year for many of my friends. As we pass the darkest point of the year, I pray that they all experience a "lightening" of their lives. I pray for satisfaction in work, good health, stronger relationships, forgiveness, comfort in the midst of grief, new jobs, new direction, and that unfathomable sense of peace that only God can give them.

I pray for a straight path into a bright future.