Winter Solstice reflection

I love the winter solstice.   For months we have been stepping one foot in front of the other, moving every day into a longer darker night.  And then, the winter solstice arrives, and we pause.  We stand on this rock and look out at the view, breathe in the fresh cold air of winter, and then turn around and slowly start walking back, one foot in front of the other again, into daylight, toward spring.

But it is that pause that I love.  A moment to look.  A day to reflect.  To light a candle and notice the sleeping world around us.

Pause and look around at this garden you’re a part of.  It is big and beautiful.

The world in its circular motion is my religion.  This cycle is my hope.  A moment to pause and focus on the earth and the moon is my prayer.

In this solstice week I stop to look at all the work I’ve accomplished on my book over this past year.  And I look at all the steps I still need to take to complete this project.  But this moment to pause in between what I’ve done and what still needs to happen is an exhale.   It is a special moment, and is something to be recognized before I dive in again, eyes searching for the sun.