Brightest blessings for the season.  

Mid-winter is, for me, the perfect pause, a chance to rest and recharge. This year, struggling with my health, I’ve rested for the whole of December, getting writing work squared away so I can make time for nourishment, – a little yoga, a little knitting, – readying myself for all that’s to come.  

For lots of reasons this year has been hard.  I suspect it’s been hard for many of us.  It’s been a year of changes, a shifting of patterns and understandings, both of the world and my place in it.  What it is to be a woman living in the 21^st Century.

Equally, there have been gifts of days.  Walks down the river, adventures with grandkids, and gardens growing.  Births see friends becoming grandma’s and nains. New friendships are held dear, accompanied by magical books, sing-along movies and the joy of new wool.

There have been losses but there have been loves.

Sitting here in the nurture of the darkness I’m trying to give space for all that has been, – the good and the hard, the challenges and the joy.

I know it can be hard to find a moment to rest during this season of festivities. Shopping must be done, gifts wrapped, the house tidied, and food prepared. I am well versed in that drive to make Christmas perfect for everyone, and it’s a joy and an honour to recreate the magic of the season for little ones year on year. I was that Christmas fairy, often crashing into a heap at the end of it, worn flat in the juggling.  

This year, my seasonal sparkle is tempered by an absolute commitment to rest, to be a little lazy. I’ve committed to watch another Doctor Who, indulged in just one more Christmas movie. As my family gets older, pleasures are more simple, time spent together more valuable than cleaning the house and worrying if we have enough sprouts.

My 30 Days of Giving has been a more gentle affair, a leisurely walk to the post box often my only achievement for the day. It’s in this spirit of giving that I invite you to join me in the swaddling darkness of the darkest night, to take a moment to rest.  

Do what feels good. Light the fire and the candles.  Watch a Christmas movie.  Read a book.  Eat something that nourishes and something that brings you joy.  Hug loved ones, play board games, grab another blanket and break open the Christmas treats.

In the coming year, I suspect there will be battles to be fought. You can almost feel it in the air, – a shift in how we see the world, how we feel as women in the world.  There will be challenges to come, but for tonight let’s celebrate the love found in the embrace of darkness as we nurture ourselves with rest.

We have a limited number of mid-winters in this brief life, so I invite you to cherish each and every opportunity to find the nurture of the darkest night.

Thank you for sharing your precious time with me. Not just today, but throughout the year when you take a moment to read my words.  

Brightest blessings dear ones – see you on the other side of the light.