12/17/2025
Finding Solace in the Season
May we all find some solace in the Christmas season,
a quiet shelter
in the midst of all that has been lost
and all that still aches.
May the simple act
of spending time with those we love
soften the sharp edges of grief,
if only for a moment,
in shared meals and familiar laughter,
in the warmth of presence.
May we remember
that love still reaches for us.
Even when absence
sits heavily at the table,
may connection remind us
that we are not entirely alone,
and that comfort,
however fragile,
can still be found
in one another.
And when the lights dim
and the songs fall silent,
may we allow ourselves
to rest in the tenderness
of what remains.
May we honor the empty spaces
without needing to fill them,
trusting that remembrance itself
is a form of love.
In this season of gathering,
may we also gather
our broken pieces gently,
holding them with the same care
we offer others,
knowing that solace
does not mean forgetting,
but learning how to carry
what we have lost
with grace.
~ 'Finding Solace in the Season' by Spirit of a Hippie
✍️ Mary Anne Byrne
~ Art by Annacosysoul
