Today is the first day of winter, the winter solstice – actually the exact time of the winter solstice for 2006 was last night at 7:22 pm – but the calendar is set by Universal Time or Greenwich Mean Time and 7:22 last night was 12:22 am on December 22 GMT – but who’s going to quibble over a few hours difference.
But what that means to us is that it is the shortest day of the year – on average about 9 hours of daylight from sunrise to sunset. According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, “Passing seasons change the habits and moods of people. Around November and December in the northern hemisphere, a gloominess nicknamed ‘winter blues’, ‘February blahs’, ‘Holiday depression’, or doldrums, is informally noted amongst people. The severest cases of this type of depression is diagnosed as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms include sleeping more, tiredness, depression, and physical aches. Although causes include genetic disposition and stress, the prevailing environmental influence is decreased exposure to light due to winter weather patterns and the increased amount of clothing that must be worn to keep warm.”
And it is true, that in the bleakness of winter, we tend to get blue. But we must remember that in spite of the psychologists of this world and their predictions of gloom and doom during the winter months, as a child of God, we can always bask in the Sonlight of God’s love. We never have to allow short hours of daylight to have a dimming effect on our disposition. Let us rejoice! We have the king of glory as our Father!
Winter’s Special Warmth
Winter brings to our lives cold blasts of fury.
Days grow short and nights draw out –
Daylight comes and goes so quickly.
The grass has faded, the flowers withered,
The trees, having shed their leaves,
Stand like morbid specters in the wintry gloom.
There’s a chill in the air that reaches the very soul.
It’s as if all nature has died
And glumly awaits spring’s resurrecting power.
Yet we can also see winter as a time of possibilities.
The crispness of the morning air cleanses our lungs.
The smell of mothballs permeates the air as we
Pull out coats and long johns from their storage.
We hear the gleeful cheers of children at the first snow.
We enjoy the festivities of the holiday seasons.
We find a special warmth in snuggling up to those we love
Sitting by a cozy fire on a snowy evening.
We glow in that special feeling of affection.
© 2006 Paul Stultz
Winter brings to our lives cold blasts of fury.
Days grow short and nights draw out –
Daylight comes and goes so quickly.
The grass has faded, the flowers withered,
The trees, having shed their leaves,
Stand like morbid specters in the wintry gloom.
There’s a chill in the air that reaches the very soul.
It’s as if all nature has died
And glumly awaits spring’s resurrecting power.
Yet we can also see winter as a time of possibilities.
The crispness of the morning air cleanses our lungs.
The smell of mothballs permeates the air as we
Pull out coats and long johns from their storage.
We hear the gleeful cheers of children at the first snow.
We enjoy the festivities of the holiday seasons.
We find a special warmth in snuggling up to those we love
Sitting by a cozy fire on a snowy evening.
We glow in that special feeling of affection.
© 2006 Paul Stultz
