It is Friday Morning and very close to Christmas now. I didn't sleep very well last night. I had a lot on my mind. Several of you have emailed me about how difficult this time of year is for you. I can understand that. What I find the most difficult about this season is the darkness. The sun rises here around 8 o'clock in the morning and sets before 5 pm. It is a very short day with very little light. Sunday will be the shortest day of the year, the day with the most darkness. I like to think that it is uphill after that. That each new day will bring more and more light. That things will get better and better.

I am a morning person and some days I think that the light will just never come. Sometimes the darkness scares me. I think this time of year brings up a lot of feelings that we don't really have to deal with in the Spring and Summertime. Deep seated feelings of sadness and even despair. It is not fashionable these days to talk about that. But I do think that there comes a time when we really do have to feel those things. Really feel them, not dwell on them, but feel them, share them if we need to and then let them go. There will always be more feelings that surface as long as we are in these human bodies, much like the peeling of an onion. It is part of life. Part of being human. It helps to know that we are not alone. That others are feeling the same way. Not because misery loves company, but because we are all connected at a very deep level and as we have the courage to heal ourselves, we heal each other.

Several years ago I spent two weeks in the Arctic, ninety miles from the North Pole at Christmas time. The Arctic is a very desolate place. There are NO trees. Only ocean and flat land. There was no light at all except for about 1/2 hour a day. I don't know how I survived it. I felt as though I was dying inside. Not to see the light or even one tree for two long weeks. There were some wonderful experiences during the two weeks like being 3 feet away from the most beautiful polar bear I had ever seen and watching the playful Arctic fox from my window. But when it was over and I arrived home, I literally ran to the first tree I could find, fell to my knees and cried.

There are many sad things going on right now in the world and you would have to be ice cold not to be affected by them in some way. This morning I sat for awhile on my balcony and watched the sun rise with a cup of tea and a warm blanket. It was a simple thing but I felt profound joy in doing it. I think that is what keeps me going. Somehow I am able through all the difficult times along this journey to find the joy in simple things.

I wish the same for you, that today you are able to find JOY in simple things and please remember to give yourself permission to feel whatever you need to feel. Do it with loving kindness. I wish you Godspeed on your journey, my dear and precious friends.