The earth spins in the crisp darkness.
Its axial tilt shuns the sun, giving us our longest night, birthing our coldest season.
But with that, daylight begins its gradual return.
It reminds us, as we near Christ’s miracle birth, that it really is darkest before the dawn.
Historically called “Mother’s Night,” the night before the solstice marked an ancient Germanic festival. It was celebrated in ancient times as important as the solstice itself, signifying a vulnerable time before triumph.
Celtic thought leaders have compared it to the gestation in the dark; the wait for a coming promise.
We have an opportunity for transformation, for wholeness, if we allow it.
This season we remember Mother Mary, through her flesh, delivering God to us in human form. As a Catholic, many who don’t understand the faith criticize us, saying we worship Mary. We don’t worship her. We adore her.
We recognize that she, like us, was human. She was terrified, uncertain, yet committed to a plan beyond her knowing. She gritted out a delivery in adverse conditions that seemed hopeless. She used her shortcomings and circumstances to give us the boldest underdog story.
We all love a hero, and she brought Him to us.
The little hands she held that first night were the same into which she later watched nails be driven, on the cross. The same feet she kissed carried Him to Calgary. The same eyes that looked upon her with love, expressed terror as he cried out to his Father, “Why have You forsaken me?”
She is the legend, the great mother, the holder of the promise in the dark night. She is our Winter Solstice love song.
I hope that we hold onto that long after the tinsel is taken down and we get back to politics.
I hope we can remember that we aren’t just the opiners of law, we are the leaders of souls and the flesh that can carry greatness. There is an ultimate scorekeeper. Do you know how you’re sitting on balls and strikes? Are you letting your temporal circumstances allow you to behave a particular way when really you know better? Instead of asking what game you are playing, start asking why you’re playing a game at all.
People love to wait for a misstep. An incorrect word or bad action. We are so used to being disappointed all the time, we’ve come to wait for it. This thinking erodes a joyful soul.
It is time to call back to ourselves and make our politics an extension of our humanity instead of a sustainer of it. It is not a radical notion to believe that our government should interfere in our lives as little as possible.
Sneaky mechanisms like sales tax and fuel tax make it more difficult for the common man to survive. New mothers need support, not abortions. Able-bodied men should work. Kids deserve to be kids.
Perhaps society returning to the basics of survival and success, instead of infighting and culture warring, will have a positive impact on the citizens of Wyoming.
While most certainly our country is in a far better position than if Kamala Harris were president, we all know that many are disappointed with various points of the Trump administration. And inflation and costs of living have not subsided in a meaningful way for most folks.
This is all the more reason for us to take local control over our own lives.
No, that doesn’t mean giving millions to county governments to put in reserves while citizens suffer to make ends meet. It means funding specific projects. Earmarking dollars where we can. Preventing government misspending, waste and abuse while making certain that the essential functions of government are covered.
Using our dollars carefully, not on welfare for the wealthy or the football games, but to plow the roads and keep us safe. This budget session, remember the mother who is still struggling to buy groceries and presents for the kids, even with a second job. Remember the small business owner trying to cover payroll. Don’t forget that kid in shop class whom all the teachers said would never make it.
They are waiting for you to fight for them. Hold through the winter solstice with a kindling hope for tomorrow’s light.
Cassie Craven can be reached at: longhornwritingllc@gmail.com
