Reflections on the Longest Night

This is the week that things change – this is the week of the Winter Soltice 2016. Winter starts on December 21, 2016 – “During the longest night, NASA also observes the light.” In Columbus, Ohio our longest night ends at 5:44am on Wednesday, December 21. Which means that we begin to have days of more light.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr said those words in 1963. Winter Soltice reminds us that there is light along with the darkness. Take the story of Alice, a grumpy seasoned nurse who would make fun of nursing students. The clinical instructor decided to have her clinical group show loving kindness to Alice – they even created a care plan! Imagine what that must have been like – to be a nursing student and being with Alice, even when she was cranky. As the light drives out darkness, love changed Alice and the nursing students.

As I reflect on this time of year and all that I personally have been through, I appreciate that driving out the darkness means that forgiveness and healing happens on my spiral life journey.