The Blessed Half-light of December

I paused to watch the yellow light spread caution across my living room. This gentle warning that darkness would soon arrive transformed a few brief moments into a timeless comforting event. The unexpected arrival of an old friend could not have changed my mood more quickly. With certainty the half light settled on sun faded furniture fabric. Everything it touched seemed to soften in preparation for the approaching night. The white walls became cream colored and the amber shade on a treasured family floor lamp, a wedding gift to my grandparents, reflected light even though it was not yet turned on.

I too let go of my firm edges and felt as if I were glowing softly, effortlessly, without the need of any other source of power. No rush of urgency pulsed through my veins; no unfinished task of holiday preparation crossed my mind. The yellow light was automatically adjusting to the advent of darkness and I too felt the change. Sometimes darkness enters the rooms of my heart this way. There is a grace that comes with the yellow light that precedes the dark.

As we enter the darkest time of the year I invite you to pause in the yellow light of caution before rushing to the light switch. While everyone else is heralding the season of light, linger in the twilight zone.

It is hard to experience the healing power of twilight or welcome the approaching night in this age of eternal light where stories never close and streets never grow dark. In these days before the holiday rush it is good to pause in the half light.

Blessings,
Stephen