The Silken Tent
      My Letter to the World
      December 2000
      (This piece is for On Display. December's prompt: Write about one of three pictures.)
      December 26, 2000
      Monday
      The Feast of Stephen

       

       
       

      Break forth oh beauteous heavenly light, and usher in the morning!

      It is, finally, the Feast of Stephen, and not a minute too soon. I move through this life in my own set of seasons, and today marks the beginning of  my New Year and my winter, which lasts through Ash Wednesday. Christmas has come, hope is reborn in the world, and I traditionally take this week before the calendar new year to take stock, regroup, and begin moving forward.

      I started ten pieces for this space and failed to finish any of them. Had I done so, I'd have written about taking the final in my creative writing class, my first accupuncture treatment, St. Lucy's Day, my daughter's school choral concert,  my Gaudete Sunday party (most enjoyable) which I turned into a book signing party, as each guest received a copy of A Child's Christmas in Harrisburg (my professionally printed and bound holiday memoir), the season's first snowfall, and my return to my former workplace for the annual Christmas breakfast.

      But, with one thing and another, I didn't, and now with the Feast of Stephen dawned bright and the snow lying round about, crisp and even if not exactly deep, it seems appropriate to just let all that go and move into the winter light, however stark and cold it may be.

      For a good many years (when I was between 23 and about 35) I lacked most of the things that make this time of year warm and fuzzy for many people. I had neither traditional faith nor private spirituality, no theological nor mystical hook to hang my hopes on. Neither did I have the comforting arms of a close and loving family nearby nor a local circle of friends that I saw frequently. All I had that made sense in my life was work, and since I was a teacher, work was not available in the conventional sense. I was lonely, lost, a spectator in my own life. The Feast of Stephen was welcome because it meant the pretense of a hearty holiday was nearly over.

      My life is very different now. Any lostness and confusion I am feeling due to my Seasonal Affective Disorder is mitigated (but certainly not erased) by my faith, my spirituality, my loving and supportive family, and the power I feel by believing that I am in charge of my own life and by acting on that belief.

      So it is a beauteous light that dawns for me this morning, as I hope it dawns for you.

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       The contents of this page are © 2000 by
      Margaret DeAngelis.

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