light of existence

The shortest day/longest night in the Northern Hemisphere is a time for rebirth and hope. A time of introspection, not darkness. Each day for the next six months we will have a bit more light.

I just spent a wonderful week with two loving, brilliant and generous members of my family on the storm-tossed beach and in the forests of far-northern California. This was a year of loss and change for all of us. But, out of this time with them, I realized the real result was gaining more of the light of existence.

Deep in the woods on the edge of a true wilderness, my nephew shared a special stream and surrounding grove that was a refuge for him during times of near overpowering grieving and loss these past months. We stood together in silence. The grove had the power of a holy place. As we walked across the bridge, we saw that someone had written on the railing: "Rest in Peace Ashley” with a date indicating a loss this year of a young person: a sacred place for others.

The photo is looking across the Siskiyou Wilderness.