Right now, we are approaching the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and here in Edmonton that is pretty noticeable. On Monday, the sky was clear and blue, and looking out of my living room window, I could see the bright sun, hovering due south just above the houses across the street. It was about 12:30 PM, and I knew that the sun was as high as it would get. At this time of year, it skims across the sky quite close to the horizon, rising sleepily shortly before 9 AM and falling back into slumber a little after 4 PM- a whopping 7 hours of daylight! Of course, it doesn't feel quite that long.... the sun takes time to come up, and starts showing signs of setting as early as 3:30 so if you blink, or if you work inside all day, you can easily miss it.
I have lived in Edmonton, Alberta for the last 28 1/2 years, but the behaviour of the sun in this northern clime still amazes me. I know it is nothing compared to places much farther north, but compared to where I grew up (Montreal and Vancouver), it quite astounds me. I remember how strange it felt, back in my early years here, to leave for work in the dark and return home, feeling as if daylight had never happened. And, in the summer, I am still surprised by the early morning birdsongs, and the glimmer of light I can see out of my north facing window well after midnight.
So, I look forward to the winter solstice here. Not because I so enjoy the lack of light but because, as the shortest day of the year approaches, I know that each new day will be just a little bit lighter again, until the darkness of winter is banished and eventually replaced by the long days of summer. Looking forward to it, watching each day grow a little bit longer, is almost as wonderful as sitting out in the brightness of a late summer evening. This gradual change of seasons also reminds me that there are cosmic changes afoot, too. It seems to be taking a long time, but one day the spiritual darkness that so often envelops this world will also be banished by the living Light that lasts forever. (Revelation 22:5)
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It's a perpetual flip, isn't it, Kathy? The dread as fall creeps toward the solstice and each day shortens faster than we can believe, until in a blink, the days are lengthening again. Much can happen in the blink of an eye, and the Living Light will be the best. :)
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