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Monday, December 19, 2011

Inspire: Listen for the birds


“I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December."

-   Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing

This week holds the Winter Solstice, Heliogenna, Yule, the Lesser Dionysia, Saturnalia, Christmas, and a host of other holidays.  It also holds my grandfather’s birthday and now my cousin’s wedding anniversary. 

It seems weird to me that the first day of winter, the Winter Solstice, means that the days will begin to get longer.  Shouldn’t the longest night be in the middle of the season?  Why do the days get longer when the weather gets colder?

In the dark days of December and the cold days of January, I will listen for a bird singing out by the bird feeder.  I will hold my loved ones close and remember that we are ‘nearer to Spring / than we were in September.”

Have a blessed holiday season!

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