The weeks leading to solstice and Christmas pull me in two directions.  The shortening days and lengthening nights ask me to slow down, to quiet myself, to rest and reflect and snuggle in with my family around the wood stove.  The holiday parties and family gatherings and gift-giving ask me to pile on extra outings, to break our rhythm and stay out late, to drive north and south and be merry.

And I do love these gathering times, eating good food with people I love.  And I do love the quiet darkness, the nights we have no obligations and stay home on the farm.

As we create our own traditions, though, this is what I want to give Waylon:

Candles on Solstice, homemade truffles, and poems to celebrate each other and the world.

I want to give him the space to go inside himself when he needs it, when the darkness invites him into long nights and gives him stars to find his way.