Publication date: 2021-12-07
The winds blow again, under incessant grey skies. Snows have fallen, partially melted and have already been re-covered, now re-melting. The seasonal tilt of the Earth's little death has arrived again. The bloom, exuberance and final last effort to sow the seeds for the next bloom are gone. Mammals seek insulated burrows, nooks or houses. The deciduous plants are almost complete in dropping their leaves, and the great recyclers are at work; the fungi, the bacteria, and all of the other unseen and disrespected midwives of the ongoing cycles.
Us "higher" apes look to stories of old, the celebration of change symbolized by the shortest day, the solstice, as recast in the birth of a savior. While the meaning and pageantry have shifted over time, it is the same. Celebrations of togetherness, the social bonds upon which we depend, continue.
For this "ape" it is also a celebration of the coming of age of my eldest child. Now, 18 times he has experienced the seasons' cycle, and in the coming bloom via the affirmation received in this season will he step forth to create a next chapter in his story.
For myself, and his mother, it is a time of reflection. I am humbled by her. We are thankful for each other's role. We are both deeply proud of the man our son has become. Our parents have played important roles, too. In time, our son will understand the importance of the role that his younger sister has already played. Through the play shared and disputes mediated, both have grown. The seasons and generations dance on.
Time is inexorable. It is the fibre we use to spin the threads with which we weave the tapestries of our interconnection, the stories of our families, our culture and lives.
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