Inspire: The Dark Days are here

The days have grown cold and the nights are longer.  We are descending into the grip of winter.  Ice and snow have already made an appearance, unable to be reined in by the faraway sun.  I shiver, chilled, as I leave home in the dark and return after the sun has set.

The winter is upon us and we are only weeks away from the darkest night. 

This time of year is for hunkering down in our blankets and giving thanks for the family around us.  We gather together, distract each other from the long darkness outside, and try not to go crazy while stuck inside. 

As much as I might curse the snow and the ice, I understand that it has a right to be there.  It is winter’s time and winter is just as important as summer.  As the white blanket falls to cover the sleeping earth, it helps the ground to rest and recover for yet another spring.  When the snow finally melts, it will nourish the soil and allow the grass to shine. 

We must all sleep and we must all fall.  Winter tells us it is so. 

So let me gather, with friends and relatives, and count my harvest.  Let me bring in the friendships, the new skills, the new discoveries of my soul.  I have a long, dark time to reflect on them all.