A commentary by a Colwood resident.
Of no small consequence at this time of year in the northern hemisphere, from deep within our diverse collective history, people have gathered to hold festivities to bring light into the darkness.
Ancient rites and traditions have been altered or incorporated by religion and history. Some have been carried forward largely intact.
One in particular is readily visible. The winter solstice is nearly upon us. Bonfires were once lit to mark its passage.
We are in one way or another, connected through the need for and presence of, kindly protective souls. In Sweden, Dec. 13 is celebrated as St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of light and music which features young girls wearing a crown or wreath of candles leading a candle lit musical procession.
Strings of small white lights adorn our house and garden. The pathway to our home, its front entrance and garden are quietly brightened by lights woven through numerous young evergreen trees and branches and evergreen boughs set in baskets.
Electric candles have been placed in the windows as a sign that, within this place, shelter, comfort and sustenance may be found. Our street and neighbourhood, indeed many areas of the nearby city and town, are aglow with illumination.
More than electric powered glow challenges the darkness. In Edmonton, the city in which we lived for many years before moving to the coast, a 10-block stretch in the Crestwood and Parkview neighbourhoods is simply known as “Candy Cane Lane.” Now in its 45th year, the decorated residences attract thousands of visitors on foot and in vehicles each holiday season.
Twenty-seven years ago, the street’s homeowners really boosted their ability to bring light into the world. At the conclusion of each evening, a huge effort involving many volunteers and trucks collects the donated contents of numerous crates that have been filled to capacity with donations for the local food bank.
By their measure, they have gathered well over one million pounds of non-perishable food. This is but one of innumerable ways to bring light into the darkness.
The citizens who started the donation collection were, at first, surprised and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the response. They should not have been. There is more kindness residing within people than we sometimes realize.
When we reach the summer solstice in the calendar year, we refer to it as the longest day, the one with the least amount of nighttime or darkness.
Now, we are at the turning point of the year, just days away from the winter solstice; the point at which the northern hemisphere is most inclined away from the life-giving energy of our nearest star, the sun. We commonly refer to this event as the shortest day or longest night. We long for light and warmth. There are many ways of seeking, finding and sustaining these necessities.
What comes to mind when we speak of them? Can we exclude from the discussion, those qualities of the human spirit often referred to as the better angels of our nature? I think not. We long for light and warmth. Not only in the dwellings that protect us from the elements, but in our daily lives as well. We can be both seekers of light and its source as well.
“Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” observed Eleanor Roosevelt. Random acts of kindness can live within the smallest gesture.
Bonfires deep within the sheltering forest have been supplanted by festive strings of illumination, candles, the Menorah, the fireplace.
We are asked to set aside our usual concerns and do more than merely give a thought to the less fortunate, the marginalized.
There is an undeniably palpable sense of evil the world. We fairly trip over its presence as we try to navigate our way through each day.
There is also something else going on. I have no doubt that you too have seen it. There are few places where the humble illuminating light of compassion is not found, sometimes in abundance.
In a time of darkness, in a time of need, quietly, heart to heart, lives are altered. On our own journey, we may arrive at a certain insight and find that these kindly and generous activities occur throughout the year; given life by those who quietly, secretly, carry the spirit of the festive season within, like some sweet treasure.
Let no one tell you that goodwill toward others is merely some abstract ideal. Reply emphatically. Let there be no doubt.
Tell them that your experience and all of your senses tell you quite otherwise.
