Divinely Wrapped

I love the Fall Season. Even the warmest of days have a different feel about them. The air is crisper; the hours of daylight shorten more with each passing day. We witness nature preparing for another cycle of death and rebirth, and the beauty of that cycle, with the vibrant colors of the leaves as they change before leaving us for the dormant upcoming winter season. The critters are starting to scurry more and begin to bury food for the darker colder days ahead.

It’s a busy season for us too as we prepare to gather the last of our harvests, put away all of our cooler, brighter colors and bring out the warmer, darker ones, whether it be in clothing or the way we decorate our homes. We begin to prepare for the long darker days ahead. We gather firewood to use during these months. We check that our flashlights are working and check our battery supply. Do we have plenty of candles? *This would be a good time to check your smoke detectors and CO detectors as well.*

The preparations continue even in the way we buy our food. We tend to put away those iced beverages and start stocking up on cocoa and other warmer type drinks. We may have canned our favorite vegetables and fruit to enjoy during these times when they are not so readily available to us. We buy meats that are more filling, that will last longer, and prepare things like stews and soups for those cold winter days.

Imagine with me for a minute how we are all connected. How we mimic Mother Nature herself. Taking her lead to prepare for the quiet dormant times, which happen without fail, as we live out our lives here on earth. Just as the trees shed their leaves, and the land is hushed with that first snowfall, nature is resting and preparing itself to start over again in the springtime in the cycle of rebirth; we too are offered this amazing opportunity.

The winter season to me is a gift given to us, as a time to rest. A time for reflection of all that we accomplished up to this point and a time to let go of things that no longer serve us. Just as a departed soul rests and reflects before returning to the next lifetime, we too have this opportunity to experience our own “life between lives” right here and now. An opportunity to reward ourselves or plan how we will do things differently as we use this time of reflection and review our lives up to this point and plan for our own cycle of rebirth, come the early days of Spring.

Unfortunately, there is that option of making this time just as busy as the other times. We get caught up in the commercialism of the Holidays, wearing ourselves thin, exhausted, frustrated and pressured to outdo the next person. But to me, wintertime says, STOP! Slow down! The weather is crap anyway so there is no need to be hustling and bustling around and knocking your-self out over anything. Even corporations give up planning conferences or conventions, starting major projects etc.

Try using this time to relax and make plans to visit with family and friends who you might not have otherwise been able to see during the other times of the year. Use this preamble to winter to plan those visits with loved ones. Giving of your time is much more valuable and meaningful than any material thing you can buy at a store. Take this time to tell them how much you love them and appreciate them. Talk about the successes and failures of the past year. Share stories of when you were a kid and the silly things you did (and got away with).

Honor your loved ones who have crossed over by setting a place for them at your Holiday table and share stories about them. Light a candle in their honor, either at Mass or in your home. Our friends and family members in spirit seem ever more present around us during the Holidays. We honor them with our thoughts, our memories and conversations about them and it brings them closer.  

Start preparing for the coming longer, dark, colder days now. Gather your firewood, candles and such. But think about what you have done this year. Pat yourself on the back for those projects or goals that you completed. Think about the things that you are holding onto that you haven’t been able to do anything with. Do they still serve you? If not, let them go and allow new things, new ideas and goals to come into your life. Begin to attract those things to you that will serve you and the greater good.

Call that family member or friend and make plans to get together and celebrate Life.

Honor those loved ones who are now in spirit. 

Relax, Reflect and Review. There is no reason to work so hard now. You’ve already put your time in. Celebrate, reap your rewards, and make plans for even better things to come when the gift of springtime, OUR chance for rebirth, is given to us once again.

Make it all about you! You deserve it! You are worth it! You are what matters!

In Love & Light,

Rus