Four years ago, my husband and I moved to a house 9 miles from town. After years of planning and building, we hadn’t spent the night in the house until we moved in. That first night, the darkness was profound. When the sun goes down out here, especially in the winter, it is dark dark. It can feel like that dark seeps into my body. I can feel unplugged, isolated and lonely.
And yet there is an alive stillness when it’s dark. There is a deep quiet. And when it is that deep dark, we see an extraordinary, jaw dropping, breath taking display of stars.
I am not a huge fan of winter. I will always prefer sun and warmth and flowers and swimming. But I am a huge fan of the winter solstice. It reminds me that there is light even in the darkest of days. And in fact, the very darkness reveals light that we might otherwise miss.