Last night we visited the Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, which is a hub of activity on Christmas Eve. Hundreds of people decorated the graves of their relatives with luminarias, mini-Christmas trees, multicolored lights, and mini-displays complete with music. The video below shows the extent of the holiday decorations lighting up the night. The poem I’m reading during the video is Winter Solstice by Isaac C. Eastvold. The text of the poem is below.
Winter Solstice
At the still center
Of the turning world,
All that was gone
Returns,
All that was daemonic
Is again made human.
Even as a goodly garden brings
Birdsong to its branches.
Effortlessly, irresistibly,
By the simple virtue
Of its own sweet grace,
So now the winter light
Opens a clear place
In the heart of shadows
Where all is restored,
Where all are born again.
— Isaac C. Eastvold, © 2009 (used with permission)
