Today is the shortest day of the year and tomorrow Winter begins and the return of the sun for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. Winter is a time for turning inwards. The hard work of harvest and storage is done. The land sleeps and we can rest from all of our hard work and prepare for the coming year. It is a time for family. It is a time for coming together and sharing our lives. To tell new stories and remember the old ones. For looking back at what has been, sorting through what to hold onto and what to keep. It’s time for weaving in what we have done this year into the greater fabric of our life stories and our family stories and the greater culture’s stories. Because our lives truly are the stories we tell not only each other, but ourselves.
Today is a time for lighting candles to celebrate the return of the sun. It’s a time for dialing it back a notch and remembering why we do all the crazy, difficult, exhausting things we do all year. To see our dreams dance in the flame and remember that new life is promised and will awaken. So take this down time to truly take in all you have accomplished, all that you’ve learned and become. Celebrate it and the same in everyone around you. Bask in the warm glow of the fire and each other’s hearts. Repair your tools, spend time crafting and creating. Let your imagination flow.
It’s yule. Celebrate the coming of the light. And the ability to set our burdens down and truly enjoy life.
