Go Follow the Sun

Here I am looking at the night sky and it is only a bit after 4 pm. Where-ever did the summer go? Seems like only a moment ago that the sun streamed through the window well past the dinner hour. Now we move into the time of year that I struggle the most with, when I wake in the dark and go home in the dark.

Isn't it odd that we find such comfort in the dark when we curl up to sleep, yet are so discomfited by its embrace when awake? I suppose the challenge now is to find a way to capture the sun in my days and carry it with me, whether I can physically see it or not.

This morning I spoke with my Mom. She is on an incredible journey through the South with a great friend. JoAnn has the most infectious laugh. Just hearing the southern trill that rings through her laughter sets a person at ease. So imagine two light-hearted souls traveling the back woods to visit the old haunts of famous writers like Faulkner and Harper Lee. They managed to line these up in a great circular loop that took them from home and back again, through all the strangest places (and all the most noted antiquarian bookstores), without missing an author along the way. I found, in listening to the story of their journey as I made my way through the night sky that was somehow morning in my neck of the woods, that the sun came through in all its golden shades. And perhaps that is how people can carry that magic with them.

The sun may fade from the sky during winter, but it stays with the people we love. When we take the time to connect, to hear their stories and experience their laughter it seems that those wonderful rays just shine. I am ever so thankful to have a Mom that lives life with such a bold paintbrush. And if I think about it, I know there are a few other people in my life that are capable of helping me find the sun in these darker days of the year.

My wish for everyone is that they have the same connections in their lives and the vision to reach out when they need that warmth to boost their days.

Happy Winter............and Thanks Mom, I love you very much, for all that you are and all the joy that you bring to me and the rest of the world at large.