Circumstances aren’t always what they seem on the surface. Taking a closer look at any given situation can show a whole other side of things not easily seen at quick glance. There is always more to the story…
For nothing is so dreary as a day in February – the very heart of winter. Here in New England, we feel this deeply. The Christmas season has come and gone with all its gaiety and brightness. Gatherings welcoming in the New Year, have also seen their celebrations pass. Now reality sinks in, and here we are… stuck in the middle of winter. The weather is cold and feathered with snow. No, not the bright sparkling gleam of freshly fallen flakes, but the dirty grey of frozen slush. It can be rather bleak realizing February is the snowiest month of the year… and that it has only just begun. However, one can always be grateful that it is also the shortest month. So, we wait to see what storms the cauldron of Nature can brew up… and whether it will present in inches or feet. The hope and promise of spring, seems far from the now that is today.
And yet, there is a dynamic in play of which we are not necessarily aware. It is enough just to keep our heads down, and plow our way through (no pun intended). For all that the days are short, they can feel long, drawn out, and boring. Right about now, the heart weary with cold, needs a thread of hope to hold onto.
A reminder that the sun will return in all its warmth and glory, gentle breezes will drift their way in past gales of frost… and the colours of crocus, snow-drop and daffodils will push their way up thru banks of snow into the newly freshening air.
Different cultures and religions have a way of addressing this seemingly long and unsettling season. Recognizing the importance, and the need of light in our lives. And acknowledging that it plays a vital role in both our outlook and health. For it has been well understood since time out of mind, that this is the lowest point of all four Seasons. Long before we ever put a name to it in Seasonal Affective Disorder. That heart and spirit struggle with the darkness and cold is a universal – and natural – reaction.
So come early February, Christians will celebrate Candlemas! Candles are brought to church and blessed, commemorating the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple, in accordance with the law of Moses as part of Jewish tradition. The candles when taken home and lit, then serve as a symbol that Christ is the Light of the World.
A sign of hope that despite the darkness of the day or the times, His Light remains with us in our daily lives. For some, this can be a reminder that circumstances will not always feel as they do at present. That in darkness there is light… and the possibility of better days ahead.
At the same time, the Celtic world celebrates Imbolc – or the first day of spring! In accordance with the lunar calendar prevalent within that culture. This celebrates the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Summer Equinox, which sounds very promising right about now.
It is also the Feast Day of Saint Brigid. Hers was the power that would bring the people out from the dark of winter into the welcoming light of spring. Signaling the start of the agricultural season… when the lambing begins, and preparation is made for sowing the seeds of fruits to come.
In this instance, Saint Brigid symbolizes the turning season, the cyclical nature of life. A sign that the darker, shorter days have had their time, and are now slowly fading. And that light does indeed return to encourage growth, and shine ever more strongly in our lives once again.
Even now, in spite of snow blanketing the ground, and cold frosty air icing our breath, there is a definite movement towards spring. Mother Nature has shifted her focus.
The sun is rising a little higher on the horizon, slowly but surely lengthening our days, minute by minute. And deep within the earth, nestled beneath frozen banks of snow, there is a gentle stirring in response. A movement so slight, as to be nearly imperceptible, but there nonetheless. What the eye can’t necessarily see, the heart can sense.
Even now, the sprouts and shoots which have remained dormant all these winter weeks past, far below the cold and snow, are quietly awakening. Reaching out and upwards in response to the ever-increasing light from above. In the fullness of time, when conditions are ripe… they will burst through the melting snow banks. A testament to the hope and promise which spring endows us with.
There is a common purpose running though all of this. That light, regardless of its source, pushes back the darkness, and holds it at bay. Thus, allowing for even the most delicate thread of hope to find its way through to our hearts.
No, circumstances are not always what they seem. Which is why we need to take a closer look, the better to see the full story. For amidst the darkest of days there is a candle of light… cold bare fields see the frolicking of newly born lambs… and the green shoots of spring are even now making their way to flower through banks of snow.
For light does indeed engender hope. It may yet be delicate and fragile in nature… but it is there nonetheless, and not to be underestimated. Hope is strong enough to move mountains, powerful enough to effect change, both great and small, in the lives of those who can grasp its’ lifeline. And sometimes, hope can even work miracles.
Patiently it awaits, just beneath the surface of whatever circumstance seems dark or threatening. What the eye can’t see, the heart can sense. And the heart is naturally draw to the Light. So, reach out and hold on to hope.
It is there… and can surprise in ways never imagined.
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands”
(Isa. 55: 12)