Today is the shortest day of the natural year, Winter Solstice 2023. Starting tomorrow, the sun will rise a little earlier and set a little later in the day. It’ll be slow at first but gradually go longer and longer until Spring arrives.

To me, this pattern of Earth’s trip around the Sun represents the pattern of life. We are born and grow taller and stronger until we reach a steady balance between birth and death. That period is different for each of us, but eventually, it moves past that, and just as the days get shorter, so does our remaining life. For me, the Winter Solstice 2023 is a rebirth of sorts. I believe when we die, we do not fade into oblivion. Our consciousness rejoins the universe we are made of and reborn again. What that rebirth entails, no one knows, including me. I just know we will… I will. The cycle repeats forever.

Does this mean that the stardust we rejoin is heaven? Maybe? I won’t speculate. Does this mean everyone who dies with a stain on their soul or not returns to stardust? Yes, they do. If there is such a thing as sin in the universe, their sins are cleansed, and they, like the rest of us, return to the cycle of rebirth.

For the here and now, it’s what we do with the life we are living and what we do with it. I am trying to leave it a better place than when I was born into it. Others tend to go the other way. That’s sad, but I can do little about that. I can only do what I can, which is take care of myself and then try to care for others. If I don’t have the strength and wherewithal to care for myself, how can I possibly care for others?

Enjoy the winter solstice and the holiday that follows. And if you are looking to do something, might I suggest reading a good book? Here’s a suggestion. Read one of mine.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/Richard Verry