The Shimmering Hours: Christmas Morning, Sea Ranch, California

I am sitting at the window with coffee and my pile of books, looking out across a meadow that leads to the sea. High tide is approaching, and I watch enormous waves surge up in the ocean, land on the rocks below, and spray high above the bluff.

Earlier today, I woke to find our bedroom filled with so much light I first thought it was morning and I had overslept. But when I checked the time, I saw it was 4:40 AM.

So curious to know what was causing the bright light, I tiptoed outside to discover a brilliant moon hanging low over the ocean, a few lingering stars, and Venus shining brightly too.

Some scientists believe that the planet Venus may be the bright light the Wise Men followed, the real Star of Bethelem. Whether true or not, I find that poetic and a beautiful way to welcome Christmas Day.

This blessing by Jan Richardson is one I’ve been reflecting on this season as I think about the year of change to come. It moved me to tears the first time I read it and is so fitting for this Christmas morning.

Happy Christmas!

---

Arise, shine;
for your light has come.

• ISAIAH 60:1
  

THE SHIMMERING HOURS
For Women's Christmas

There is so much
I want to say,
As if the saying
could prepare you
for this path,
as if there were anything
I could offer
that would make your way
less circuituous,
more smooth.

Once you step out,
you will see for yourself
how nothing could have
made you ready for this road
that will take you
from what you know
to what you cannot perceive
except, perhaps,
in your dreaming
or as it gives a glimpse
in prayer.

But I can tell you
this journey is not
about miles.
It is not about how far
you can walk
or how fast.

It is about what you will do
with this moment, this star
that blazes in your sky
though no one else
might see.

So open your heart
to these shimmering hours
by which your path is made.

Open your eyes to the light that shines
on what you will need
to see.

Open your hands
to those who go with you,
those seen
and those known only
by their blessing,
their benediction
of the road that is
your own.

- Jan Richardson
Circle of Grace, A Book of Blessings for the Seasons