Winter Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice...the first day of winter...the beginning of the longer days to weave ourselves back to summer days.

I have been celebrating the Solstice for years, often in the company of myself. I have been known to chant around old Oak trees surrounded by drifts of snow...or building small bonfires (sometimes in the grill!) and tossing in eulogies of my past.

A few years ago I celebrated Solstice on an airplane. I told my seatmate at the exact moment of Solstice. He had never met anyone who celebrated it before. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a $100 dollar bill and handed it to me. I was, of course, reluctant to take it. He said to just consider it a gift. When I arrived home, I stuffed it in one of my favorite books.

Last Solstice Philip was here so we celebrated with sparklers out on the front stoop...then had cookies and cocoa.

Tonight I will be with my book club...but tucked into my briefcase are a couple packages of sparklers. Hopefully I will get a few takers!

Here is one of my favorite Solstice greetings. Tonight after dark, go outside, circle around a special tree in the yard and recite it!

"Root to root,
Seed to seed,
May all that we have,
Be all that we need."

Happy Solstice.

Lou Ann Homan is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who lives in Angola, Indiana. She is available for writing seminars, storytelling, and speaking engagements. She can be contacted at locketoftime@aol.com. You can read more at www.louannhoman.com