Heading towards midwinter, it is an intensive span of time these last couple of weeks. At times you may  experience it as a period in which even endurance is asked. Indeed, one knows, light will come back but still…

In these days of experiencing  the waning of sunlight and the growing of darkness so intensely it can feel like a growing burden. Taking up the chorus of life can become tougher now day by day and even more strenuous as well.

May be this is one of the reasons a division of Advent was made once, into four parts. The path towards Christmas is marked now, step by step. Every Sunday during four weeks a new candle is added and lit as a symbol of the light which will conquer the darkness.

And then, the biggest part of winter had passed already that I was walking on the road towards the church. It had been a cloudy day but now while it was nearly sun dawn, the sky opened up and a sense of freshness filled the air.

And there it was, back again…After a long period of absence of birdsong I heard the blackbirds singing their lovely song. With their music there was that special sense of airiness too into the heaviness of the moment. A scent of freshly mowed grass came into my memory.

A glimpse of Christmas, not far away now was brought by them.

Happy Christmas

Slán go fóill,

Elisabeth from Inis Meáin

Anamchara retreat. Click the image