Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Winter (the season) (08/13/09)
-
TITLE: Sun Settling | Previous Challenge Entry
By Emily Gibson
08/14/09 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Our barnyard, for a deceptive few minutes, appears rosy and warm in crisp subfreezing weather. Then all becomes gray again, and within an hour we are shrouded in thick fog which ices the asphalt as darkness falls. It becomes a challenge to avoid the deep ditches along our county roads, with the white fog line being the critical marker preventing potential disaster.
The ever present evening fog this time of year cloaks and smothers the darkness, not unlike the respiratory viruses that have hit people so hard. We are feverish, coughing and snuffling, unable to see past the ends of our own swollen noses, as if the fog descended upon each of us in an impenetrable gray cloud. It is an unwelcome reminder of our vulnerability to microscopic organisms that can defeat us and lay us low in a matter of hours, just as a sudden fog can misguide us to the ditch. We are forced to stay put, at a time when there are dozens of responsibilities vying for attention in preparation for the holidays. Little gets accomplished other than the slow wait for healing and clarity--at some point the viral fog will dissipate and we can try climbing back into life and navigating without fog lines as guides.
Ditches are especially deep for some good folk in the winter, swallowing up their light and joy in the season. A family loses a child in a tragic accident while another family has lost their beloved grandfather to a relentless cancer. Too many people struggle with overwhelming depression and every day must make a decision whether to live or die. There are many homeless from epic disasters of hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Despite these profound losses and pain, people courageously climb their way out of the darkness to the light.
This solstice day's transition to night is bittersweet: bright flames of color, yet heralding our uneasy future sleep. So the sun "settles" upon the earth and so must we.
Be at ease, put down the heavy burden and rest. We celebrate, with chorus and gifts, the arrival of brilliant light in our lives. Instead of darkness overcoming us, our lives are illuminated in glory and grace.
The Son has settled among us.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
mona