The Sun Holds Still for Winter

12/20/2017

Solstice

Winter Solstice

Is there a day in the year filled with more hope? Winter’s grip, with grasping fingers – Marley’s talons, Scrooge’s claws – tightens, and the icy whistling wind seeks tiny clefts: under the door, down the shaft of the range hood, through the cracked clerestory window. Insidious and insistent, cold creeps in. Where are my gloves? I need warm slippers! Let’s hunker down. We need warm food – tea, green chile stew, lasagna. Let’s gather together: drink deep, tell old stories, laugh in the face of the dark night. Light the candles, all of them! Put twinkly lights in the trees! Against the encroaching gloom, Solstice arrives: the first dawns are not encouraging as the sun appears stuck in its lowest arc; but then its arcs grow larger and the days lengthen. The tables are turned, the long night is vanquished, we welcome the return of light. Yes, yes, thank heavens for the solstice; we have hope for our days in the approaching new year.

I am thinking of family and friends now; I listen to the aches and sorrows of the year, I weep for the untimely passing of the ones we have loved, and I celebrate all the goodness and greatness as well: new babies, weddings, new homes, new cars, new schools: bold steps in an uncertain future. Hooray for the courage and the blessings to fortify the new year.

I recently added a few pages to the website, under the new tab “Buy Some” in order to make greeting cards and posters available to readers who would like to purchase small items. Of course, originals and giclee prints are always available for most of the images on the site.

Greeting Cards Collections

These Greeting Card Collections have 5 collage designs in each set - click on each one to see the collections. Six collections are available at $20 for each set of 5 cards and envelopes. Cards are also available singly - seventeen card styles to choose. See Greeting Cards.