by Greg Koelker
I am setting this down on December 21, the shortest day of the year. I saw a photo of people celebrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge. Cool idea if you have the desire and the means. Mountain kid Dr. Christine sent us this piece that I’d like to share with you:
‘A Winter Solstice Blessing’ by Spirit of a Hippie
By Mary Anne Byrne
The winter solstice is a sacred time,
infused with quiet magic and returning light.
It is a moment when the universe, in its infinite kindness,
awakens our hearts to tender and brighter possibilities,
rekindling the light of hope within our souls
as a new cycle of light slowly begins.
In this holy pause between darkness and dawn,
we are invited to release,
to loosen our grip on old patterns, heavy sorrows,
and lingering wounds that we may continue to carry.
With open hands and gentle hearts,
we step forward,
cradling the promise of brighter, more hopeful beginnings.
May all who have known loss or disappointment
find comfort in this peaceful turning.
May the light, though small at first,
guide us faithfully through the darkest days,
reminding us that even the longest night
must yield to morning.
As we give thanks for all that has nourished us,
every lesson, every kindness, every tenderness
that shaped our year,
we honor the path that brought us here.
And in gratitude,
we begin again,
walking onward with renewed hope,
gentle anticipation,
and the quiet courage to welcome the year ahead.
And the good news is, the days start getting longer immediately!
Last week one evening, I went out with Bo at about ten PM. I switched off the yard light to better view the night sky. Orion’s belt always catches my eye first. In early fall, the constellation spends the night journeying across our limited view of the sky fading away to dawn right above our place or so it seems. For the first time in quite a while, the stars shone brightly enough to see down here in the coulee, and it was warm enough to spend some time contemplating. The hills covered what would have been a faint Milky Way to the south. Safari search engine says that to see the Milky Way in western Wisconsin one must head to dark sky regions like Wildcat Mountain State Park or the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Great idea for a romantic road trip some winter night. Fill up a thermos with hot chocolate and grab a handful of Christmas cookies. Not for me I guess as I don’t much like driving at night anymore and of course the deer. The brightest star I saw was just northeast of Orion. It sparkled even; well, that could be from my scratched lenses too. According to Safari, the brightest star tonight is the planet Jupiter – somewhere between 365 and 600 million miles out there depending on the time of year and the road you take. Anyway, Bo interrupted my reverie to let me know that he had enough star gazing for one night. Good boy.
Mariners and other travelers looked to the stars as their GPS back in the day and there are records of a bright celestial event at that time some say. Some astronomers infer that around that time, it was possible that there was an alignment of planets and stars that was spectacularly bright. There are written records from around 5 BCE in China that recall a bright star they called a broom star. Given the state of air travel then and dearth of interstate highways, it could have taken the three kings of legend as long as five years by camel to get to Bethlehem. All that aside, I like best the story of the Christmas Star that led the shepherds and the three wise men to Bethlehem.
I remember a Christmas made miraculous for me and my sister Diane back in the 1950’s. One Christmas morning my dad told us to hurry and go outside and check the roof for signs of Santa. We did. He had been there! He was REAL! (Spoiler alert. I realized a couple of years ago that my dad had risked life and limb on our snow-covered roof to pull a sled the length of the roof and make some tracks on Christmas Eve.)
On Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve, back in 1978, Leroy Holley called me at work and said his schedule had changed and he had to deliver Ellen’s Christmas present that morning. I called my better half at home – she had planned a big day off of getting caught up on holiday stuff and such – and told her that she had to wait until the delivery. She was so miffed, I know I got on her naughty list. She told me later that she was mystified a couple hours later when a truck with a trailer attached pulled in. Santa’s helper in a cowboy hat, Leroy, unloaded a beautiful palomino with a red ribbon attached to its halter. “Merry Christmas!” he called to my astonished Girl. (A little exposition here: we had ridden this horse, Dandy, at Holley’s place a month before. For El it was love at first sight, but we both agreed – okay mostly me – that the horse was too much for our budget. El had tears running down her cheeks as we headed home. I called Holley later and said we’d take him if he could keep him until Christmas.) That was the only Christmas I got on and off the naughty list – as I can remember or will admit too anyway.
On another Christmas Eve, our friends and neighbors Dick and Judy Swantz played Santa’s elves while we were down at Cassville. We had stored two new bikes, and the rest of the boys’ presents in Dick’s workshop. El had to work Christmas morning. As we drove home Christmas Eve, we overheard Mark whispering to Ben in the back seat, “If there are presents under our tree, there really is a Santa Claus!” When we got home you can imagine their surprise. The tree was lit and there were colorful Christmas packages and two shiny new bikes. There were even a couple of presents for Ellen and I. Maybe Santa did help them.
Until next time, get out – again, from all of us here at Grouse Hollow, here’s wishing you a kind and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year. Peace.
If you haven’t checked out VernonReporter.com this would be a good time to sign up and give yourself a Christmas present.
Greg Koelker is a lifelong resident of the Driftless region and a proud member of the De Soto, Wisconsin, community. He is the acclaimed author of the “Grouse Hollow Journal,” a column that celebrates rural life, nature, family heritage, and the traditions that bind communities together. While technically focused on the “outdoors,” his writing often explores broader themes of community values and education.
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