“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
As we head into the darkest week of the year, approaching the Winter Solstice, I am thinking about all the ways I can appreciate the longest nights of the year. We’ll have 9 hours and 21 minutes of sun tomorrow. The sun set here at 4:35 pm tonight, and night falls heavily in late December like a door slamming shut. These quiet dark nights are good for sewing, sipping tea, reading and resting.
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver
Light pollution has spoiled our view of the Milky Way over the decades, but I have memories of a few remarkable nights when I experienced the galaxy strewn across a black velvet sky in a light show that left me speechless. The ones I remember most are – reclining in a high mountain meadow in a sleeping bag when I was at summer camp as a kid, and more recently being blown away by the Southern skies on a pitch black night, on the Southwest coast of Australia. The Milky Way was like fireworks reflected in the bay!
Because of this love of stargazing, every night I go out to look at the sky, without fail. These days I do it when I take my dogs out to pee, before I go to bed. Before I knew Paul, I would go out on my back porch to look at the stars at midnight. When I met Paul and visited his house for the first time, the garage opened up and there was a huge telescope taking up half the garage, and I knew he was the one. We bonded over our mutual love of Star Trek and Monty Python.
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” – Anne Frank
Some of you may feel that we are going through a dark time. Our hearts go out to those affected by yet another natural disaster – the tornadoes that hit 5 states a few days ago. I want to let you know that thanks to the eQuilter charity fund, we donated to the Community Foundation of West Kentucky (based in Paducah) and the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. We are relieved to know that the Quilt Museum in Paducah was not affected.
On the other hand, we are entering the Season of Light, which we celebrate next week when the Solstice marks our return to longer days. As we prepare for the season of love, generosity, and compassion…I hope you have some quiet time to contemplate the stars and the New Year ahead.
“It’s better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.” – Confucius & Eleanor Roosevelt
…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul
