curl up in these blankets.

cozy, like the shelter of a

womb.

 

light a candle,

bring light to this

darkest of weeks.

 

sip something warm,

send a kind text to a friend.

then to a nemesis.

 

do something more

to combat the darkness.

illuminate.

 

on these snow-stormy,

wintry days,

we need to gather.

 

the danish call it hygge,

a word we can’t quite

capture.

 

but we know the feeling.

 

it feels like

hot chocolate after skiing,

when the fire is finally blazing,

when your spot on the couch is warm.

 

it feels like

reading by candlelight at the cottage,

cuddling with tea and a good book,

putting on pajamas out of the dryer.

 

it feels like

wine around a table full of friends,

watching snow fall from inside a warm house,

a sleepy Sunday morning still in bed.

 

sometimes you have to

“kick at the darkness til it bleeds daylight”

and sometimes,

you have to welcome the light

by creating cozy spaces.

 

offer hospitality to the light,

to one another,

to yourself.

 

? what is your coziest place, activity, person

? what is your coziest memory as a child

>>> on this darkest week, how can you capture this feeling?

                                                   how can you create it for others?

 

we are moving into our darkest days.

as we weather these long nights,

may we learn to welcome the light.

may we learn to welcome one another.

may we create space

in our homes

in our families

in our hearts

in our world.

may we be hospitable to strangers,

kind to family,

generous to those who serve us,

and gentle with ourselves.

this week,

light a candle,

create some space for coziness and warmth.

take some time to reflect on the coming of the Light. 

find some ways to illuminate the darkness

in our homes

in our families

in our hearts

in our world.

and may we trust that new life is growing.