| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
The Whitehurst Diaries: Winter Solstice 'I am Christian in my spiritual walk, so my observance of the solstice is not a ritual occasion. Still, folklore and legends are fascinating and it is intriguing to see how the beliefs, customs, and celebrations of other times and older peoples have inter-twined with Christian traditions.' -SHARON WHITEHURST Click on headline for complete essay and photo(s) By Sharon Whitehurst Written at Gradyville, KY, on December 21, 2011 My father always called attention to the shortest day of the year. The word 'solstice' was not in his vocabulary, nor the term 'equinox.'Rather, he was a country man with an intense interest in weather and seasons.He quoted the Old Farmers' Almanac, he kept thermometers fastened to outside windowsills on all sides of his house, comparing the temperature during a winter cold spell to the nth of a degree. He marked the autumnal flights of the wild geese, announced the 'first day of winter'--observed the return of the springtime and commented on the 'longest day' in mid-summer. His interest in the natural world, the changes of the seasons, the foibles of birds and beasts set the pattern of observation and delight early in my own life. My son was born about daylight on December 22, 1964. In Vermont that year we had been referring to the season as "winter" for many weeks. I am Christian in my spiritual walk, so my observance of the solstice is not a ritual occasion. Still, folklore and legends are fascinating and it is intriguing to see how the beliefs, customs, and celebrations of other times and older peoples have inter-twined with Christian traditions. At this time of year I so often reflect that a reliable source of artificial light--electricity--is astonishingly recent. Ages of earths' history have passed with only a feeble candle or torch or bonfire to create a small circle of light against the long dark of a winter's night. Beyond that flickering yellow illumination anything might lurk; wild beast, friend, enemy, could not be reliably distinguished without entering the ring of light.Little wonder that the lengthening of days--and all that implies of warmth, and green growing things--was welcomed with joy. -SHARON WHITEHURST This story was posted on 2011-12-22 06:18:33
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.
More articles from topic Sharon Whitehurst - Whitehurst Diaries:
Sharon Whitehurst renders wonderful read-aloud poetic prose The Whitehurst Diaries: Sandhill Cranes Migration The Whitehurst Diaries: Squirrels pantry disturbed The Whitehurst Diaries: The search for viable solution for wildlings The Whitehurst Diaries: October flowering of cherry tree, Gradyville, KY The Whitehurst Diaries: A misty morning walkabout The Whitehurst Diaries: Garden Spiders/photos by Devin Gould The Whitehurst Diaries: Gems of Blue for a Grey Day Sharon Whitehurst reveals aversion to even good snakes Will Whitehurst Diaries become a book? View even more articles in topic Sharon Whitehurst - Whitehurst Diaries |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
