This morning, I woke up to an amazing sunrise. The opaque window on our front door was glowing with the most beautiful shade of red. If I had to come up with a name for the color, I would call it Poinsettia Red. When I opened the curtains of the window next to it, I was greeted with brushstrokes of orange, red, and purple painted across the sky.
I knew it wouldn’t last, so I quickly grabbed a towel and slipped into the mini hot tub outside on the deck to watch the show from start to finish. It was nothing short of spectacular.
Today is the Winter Solstice—the shortest day and the longest night of the year. If I were in Oklahoma, I might go to the First Americans Museum to watch the setting sun perfectly line up with a tunnel opening created in the mound just for this day. Or, if I were in Tennessee, I could go to the Old Stone Fort State Park, where Native tribes built massive stone walls that align precisely with the sunrise on this one day of the year. And then there’s Stonehenge.
Nature takes the lead when it comes to spectacular celebrations and light shows. Still, I also love all the ways people put their own twist on shining light into the world. Whether it’s red, green, blue, or clear lights—icicle lights, net lights, or candles.
Decorating with lights is an outward expression of our own inner light. Sometimes our worlds are made brighter by something as simple as a Christmas card—like the one I got from the couple who delivers our mail—or a homemade Ziploc bag of cookies. It’s all light in one form or another, and it’s so heartwarming.
The holidays are an open invitation to change things up. We sing different songs at our gigs, throwing in both new and old Christmas songs. We take time off. We drive around at night and look at lights. We get together with friends and eat special food. The holiday season makes space for all of that.
We are in a season of celebration, and I can’t think of anything better than celebrating the life I am living right now. What more could I ask for than to have my days filled with beauty, love, and awe?
On this Winter Solstice, may you catch the sun, doing what it does best—shining and reflecting on you and through you, illuminating the love, beauty, and awe that live within us all.
We’re all sun catchers.
Catch the Sun Written by Trisha Leone Sandora A sun catcher hangs from a nail on the window frame. A crystal and glass beads held together with a piece of string They’re so pretty when the light catches them just right It may not seem like much, but I smile every time And I think about what it would be like To catch the sun I want to catch the sun, so it can shine through me I want to soak it in, till it reaches way down deep I want the edges of my life to reflect the light A voice of hope that lifts you up A song that you can sing along I want to catch the sun, I want to catch the sun Hundreds of facets cut into a stone Like scars–wounds, smooth and worn–they all reflect the light We all have something we can give, gifts of love and happiness Colors that shine bright in every moment of our lives It’s the beauty of this life and what is possible when we Catch the sun I want to catch the sun, so it can shine through me I want to soak it in, till it reaches way down deep I want the edges of my life to reflect the light A voice of hope that lifts you up A song that you can sing along I want to catch the sun, I want to catch the sun Rainbows of color dance across the room Magically transforming my everyday view From indigo to red, yellow, green, and blue A little light changes everything and reveals a deeper truth Here's a YouTube video link of the song from a few years back, when I wrote it
Love sunrises & sunsets! All so amazing and unique! Merry Christmas! Love you both!
I love your writings. They make my heart fuller. Thank you for sharing.