Perhaps in no other season
are people as aware of what is missing in their lives. In December we look for
signs of hope, renewal, faith, and affirmation that the struggles we are in are
worth the trouble.
In the midst of celebrating,
we see people who are suffering, who are poorly dressed for winter, who are
hungry, who are alone, and we try to help, because something reminds us that we
are members of the same community.
December is also when much of
the natural world in the northern hemisphere goes into hibernation. There is
grace in this, in the letting go of what is past, in the retreating from active
life and preparing for spring, and grace in the slower movements of the season.
We think of people we had to let go, and in this holiday season we are reminded
again and again of how much we miss them. We think of our own mortality. We
think of the sources of energy for our life, what inspires us, and we feel the
pull to live what we believe in everything we do.
