December 21, The Longest Night of the Year-My Reflections

Tonight, the darkness reaches its deepest point, but it also marks the beginning of the light. On December 21, we experience the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Sun reaches its lowest arc across the sky, casting long shadows and bringing an extended hush to the land. But this is more than an astronomical moment.

Across millennia, cultures have viewed the solstice as a time of reflection, rebirth, and transition. In the stillness of the cold, ancient people gathered around fires, shared stories, and welcomed the slow return of light a symbol of hope, healing, and new beginnings.

Tonight is a rare chance to pause. To honor the quiet. To feel the rhythm of Earth beneath your feet. Let this longest night be a reminder:

Even the deepest darkness is not the end it’s the turning point.

The Longest Night, and the Promise It Carries- My Reflection

In ancient times, people gathered close to firelight on this night. They shared stories, food, and warmth. They honored what had been lost during the long year and welcomed what might return. The solstice wasn’t feared; it was understood as a threshold, a crossing from darkness toward light. Slowly, patiently, almost invisibly, the days would begin to lengthen again.

I find myself thinking about that often now as I enjoyed the last stages of my life.

As we grow older, we learn that life moves in seasons, not straight lines. There are bright summers full of momentum and growth, and there are winters, quiet, reflective, sometimes lonely. There are moments when energy fades, when the world feels smaller, when the nights seem longer than the days. And in those moments, it’s easy to believe that darkness is an ending.

But the solstice reminds us otherwise. Tonight offers us a rare invitation: to pause.

To sit with stillness instead of rushing past it. To honor the quiet without needing to fix or explain it.

There is wisdom in this darkness. It asks us to reflect, to look back at what we’ve carried, what we’ve survived, what we’ve learned. It asks us to acknowledge grief and gratitude in the same breath. It asks us to trust that not all growth is visible.

I’ve come to understand that some of the most meaningful changes in life happen the way the light returns after the solstice, slowly, subtly, almost unnoticed at first. A slightly earlier dawn. A softer heaviness in the heart. A renewed sense of presence. Hope doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it simply stays.

So tonight, I choose to honor this longest night. I honor the years behind me, the work, the love, the losses, the stories worth telling again.

I honor the quiet moments that now feel more precious than noise. I honor the light that has not disappeared, only rested.

Let this night be a reminder: Even the deepest darkness is not the end.It is the turning point.  And tomorrow, just a little bit the light returns.

Meanwhile, 

A rare orchid once presumed extinct in Borneo has been confirmed in the Philippines, reshaping scientists’ understanding of how plants move across Southeast Asia. The finding underscores the archipelago’s role as a last refuge for fragile montane species as forests shrink across the region.

Field botanists describe 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘮 as a small, unobtrusive epiphyte distinguished by its flattened floral lip, a feature referenced in the Greek roots of its name, "plakos" (flat) and "cheilos" (lip).

Finally, 

After our Group Dinner in the Comet Room yesterday, Carol Larimore called me and sang the following song that she composed as part of her educational program for teachers, parents, and children in grades K through 3 in elementary schools in a number of Bay Area districts: She titled it Gratitude and informed me the song reminded her of me. John sent it to me as follows : 

[Chorus]

"Gratitude in an attitude;

A radical, positive attitude.

Gratitude sets me free

From rumblin' grumblin' negativity"

[Repeat]

'

[Verse]

"G" for Glad,

"R" a reason for

"A" an attitude for all seasons

"T" Terrific, that's how I feel,

"I, T, U, D, E, that's for real

[Repeat Chorus]

Note: Carol and I are delighted that you enjoyed your birthday celebration here at THD! John

Finally, the top Five News of the Day:

1. Major Bay Area power outage — partial restoration underway
PG&E has begun restoring electricity to tens of thousands of San Francisco customers following a major outage that left much of the city in the dark. ABC7 San Francisco

2. Ursid Meteor Shower peaks tonight
The final meteor shower of the year, the Ursids, is set to peak late tonight into early Monday, offering great viewing conditions for stargazers. TIME

3. Middle East tensions: Israel urges fresh strikes on Iran
Israel is pressing the U.S. for additional strikes against Iran amid concerns over missile and nuclear program developments. The Australian

4. Winter Solstice marked globally
Today is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere — the shortest day of the year — with celebrations and cultural observances worldwide. Forbes

5. Mass shooting in South Africa — fatalities reported
Multiple gunmen opened fire near a tavern in Bekkersdal, Gauteng, killing nine people and injuring others. Wikipedia