
The approaching winter has felt darker than usual. Here in the north, where usually we are blanketed with snow this time of year, this year we have none. All around town people are putting up Christmas lights, but without the snow to reflect the light, the beams and sparkles of light do not carry. Without the softening effect of billows of snow, they can even seem a bit garish.
But it is not just the lack of snow that renders these days darker. With the wars raging in the Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and smaller conflicts around the world; the rise of hate crimes against both Jews and Palestinians in this country; the alarming possibility of a misogynist fascist man – who, echoing Hitler labels his political opponents “vermin” – becoming President of this country again; the ongoing climate crisis — these can seem dark days indeed, rendering our attempts at holiday cheer a bit garish as well.
Continue reading “In Search of the Light by Beth Bartlett”