An Advent reflection from Deb Beck
“Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do – or because you can
now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so.”
– Stanley Crawford
First day of December, and the first snow.
I wake up at 4 o’clock to leave at 5, to arrive at work by 6 AM. On work days, I’m the family weather checker. Forecast for today: gloves and hats for everyone.
The drive is lovely. Snow falls in the darkness and lays on the cold ground, and then upon itself, covering the fields. I’m the first to drive the snowy road. So beautiful, yet so very cold.
I am not looking forward to three or four more months of cold, short days.
It’s easy today, to understand why the tradition started, back in the Middle Ages, to gather around lit candles as the cold days become shorter and shorter, as a reminder of warmer, lighter days to come. When I think of it, it makes so much sense that we celebrate Christmas this time of year, when spring seems too far off. We anticipate warmer, days and the return of the Light. The rhythm of the calendar year informs the Christian seasons and festivals. There must be a purpose to this design of Nature.
Squirrels know what to do. They save up nuts to get though till spring. Bears and groundhogs fill up and bed down for the winter.Trees and flowers drop their leaves to conserve, and store their food in root and bulb. They all know what must be done. But I can’t see what we, as humans, and as Americans, do for self-preservation this time of year. Shop? Store up material goods?
I wonder what we are meant to do. What did our ancestors do? They stored up root vegetables and ate them over the winter. So full of nutrients, and I wonder if it’s more than coincidence that they are so colorful against the black and white backdrop of winter. I suspect people used to sleep more too, minding the sun’s clock, and not the one on the wall (or cell phone). Maybe the lethargy I feel this time of year is related more to sleep deprivation than light deprivation. Hmm. It may be true our ancestors had less to do in the winter. Crops were in, and no planting to be done. Maybe that allowed for more sleep. Or maybe Stanley Crawford got it right: we can permit ourselves the luxury of doing little now and then. Maybe this is the time of year to relax, unwind, drink hot cocoa, watch a candle burn, play board games, read a book, meditate, take a nap, write a letter……..It’s a new twist on the crazy holiday season.
A Challenge:
Today, don’t look at any sale ads or catalogs. Beside your “to do” list, make a “to not do” list of unimportant, unnecessary activities you can let go.
A Prayer:
Lord, there is rhythm and symmetry in your design. Help me tune to your rise and fall. Show me what I am meant to do. Slow my pace this restful season. Keep a candle burning ever so quietly inside me. Amen.
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