Holidays/Holy Days

Sitting at the computer, I notice that the dark is descending upon us at only 4 p.m. The darkest days of the year are yet to come. The light of the computer screen is all that is illuminating the space I am in at the moment. I want to get my thoughts down more than I want to turn on the lights.

Imagine having brought in the harvest, stocked the larder and gathered your family around the table for a harvest feast. Or, imagine how dark, how alone one might have felt during a time without electricity. It is no wonder that our ancestors, the world round, celebrated Holy Days of Thanks and Light at this time of the year.

Thanks for the harvest became the forerunner of our Thanksgiving. While thanksgiving for the "return" of the sun(light), created the first Solstice celebration. From Bodhi Day to Kwanzaa, and from Hanukkah to Christmas, all the celebrations of this season center around the Light.



Several years ago, I attended a very beautiful service where the electricity was turned off, candles were lit one at a time until the whole church filled with the light of candles alone. The minister said only this, "Go forth, you are the Light of the World!" It was a profound moment for me.

We are Lights in this world. Like the beacon that reaches out into the darkness of a stormy sea, we often times know nothing about the lives our Light touches. It is not for us to worry about...our job is to simply shine!

As another season of holidays and Holy Days roll round, I am making an extra special effort to remember that it is not about how much, how many, how good, how fast or how far. But, rather, it is and always has been about the Light, however you perceive it.

May the blessings of this season on Gratitude and Light fill you with Peace and Love.