If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet
The winter solstice is a day to which I look forward simply because it is the shortest day of the year, which means each day forward will increase in daylight hours. Today is less than a second longer than yesterday, but by January 1st we will have gained two whole minutes. Yes, it starts off slowly, adding only a few seconds a day at first, but it increases momentum until the spring equinox. Winter will go on for months yet and it has plenty of dark and dreary days, but each day there is just a bit more sunlight than the day before. The earth is beginning to tilt in the opposite direction, stealing more daylight from the southern hemisphere and giving it to the northern half. It is a amazing thing when you think about it!
I don't know why exactly, but every year just knowing the days are now getting longer after the winter solace lifts my spirits!
~ My Lord, thank you for the longer days coming and the warmth following. ~
