On December 22, after meeting up with an old friend for a cup of late afternoon tea, I was entering the driveway to home when I noticed the darkness. The icicle lights around the garage were waiting for the timer to click on. The porch light was off, and there was no light coming from the front rooms of the house. Should I adjust that timer, I wondered.
Darkness came early that evening, and it would be a long night.
But it wouldn’t be the longest night.
Winter solstice this year was on December 21. I saw pictures of kids lighting up the night in their backyards. There were news stories about the “shortest day of the year.” I recall now that my parents attended a church service to celebrate the longest night. I didn’t honor the longest night or the shortest day in any way. December 21 was a busy meeting day, dinner was every-human-for-thyself, and I graded student work in front of the television afterward.
What a gift that just when we notice how long the dark of night is present, we begin to gain daylight. The days are getting longer. There is no need to adjust the timer. The light will come again.