December is filled with a variety of lessons and experiences, like the winter solstice (Dec. 21st) – the first day of winter. OK, I can hear the groans from here. But hang on a moment.
The first day of winter is also the beginning of longer days and shorter nights. Let’s remember, as Hal Borland says, “no winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” To get to spring, we just need to lean into winter.
Author Parker Palmer writes that winter can offer many gifts. “It comes when the sky is clear, the sun is brilliant, the trees are bare…it is the gift of utter clarity…and a reminder that times of dormancy and deep rest are essential to all living things.” So use this winter to take some time to get some extra rest. Curl up with a good book. Browse through the seed catalogs. Learn something new. No need to rush. Just pour yourself another cup of tea, sit in front of the fire, and enjoy winter’s quiet moments.
This month many people will be celebrating their treasured religious and spiritual practices like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. It’s been said that this is a time of year when the entire world is engaged in a conspiracy of hope. Where would we be without hope?
And where would we be without our snowy winters? Like someone once wrote, “when it snows, I have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.” And let’s remember the Japanese proverb, “one kind word can warm three winter months.” Kahlil Gibran shares his observation that “kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers.”
Thanks to each of you for supporting the Andover Public Library, for all the acts of kindness you extend to make our community stronger and more beautiful. Have a safe winter season. May you find the beauty and hope that it holds.
Sincerely,
Nancy Logan, Director