Solstice

The longest night. Where cold and dark have their way, and even the sun’s eventual coming seems muted and made too mild by winter’s will.

Time seems to have stopped altogether here. My mind and heart are disoriented - though I am here in body, my spirit knows I am a foreigner in this darkened landscape. The air too cold and dim for my heart to call this home.

So I move as one must through such a season. I find comfort where I can – in a friend, in a song, in the memory of the warmth of sun on my skin. My spirit draws me into hope, and I remember that light and life will come again, and are here too, if I do the work to find them. Longest nights made brighter and warmer by firelight and companionship.

The word solstice comes from combining two Latin words – sol for ‘sun’ and sistere for ‘to stand still.’ It seems a fitting term to describe the experiences I see in my work in Hospice – how long a year or a day can last as we sit vigil and serve our loved ones whose bodies cannot, will not be fixed.

If you inhabit this space, I invite you to notice the ground under your feet.

It is foreign territory, but you are here. You are brave to have shown up. You may be wrapped in shrouds of sadness and grief, but you are present. That alone is hard work, and you are doing it.

There is uncertainty and weariness here. What is keeping you grounded now?

In darkness and cold it is common to find ourselves easily dismayed. What keeps you hopeful tonight?

From here, there will eventually be a turning point. Night does not last forever. But we are made remarkably resilient as we learn and grow through our longest nights. We are kept and sustained by the miracles of the Divine made plain – what my fellow Jesus people call Emmanuel, God with us. And so, keep a keen eye. If you pay attention, you may find the unique gift of long darkness. As our souls adjust to the dim shades around us, we may be surprised to find that pure joy touches deepest sorrow. It is in the longest nights that these two soulful melodies find their harmony. It is the gift of the solstice. May it sustain you in your journey, even as the nights grow shorter from here.  

In Love,
Chaplain Becca

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13