The Going and the Coming of the Light

I was born and raised here near the 54th parallel and as such I have spent my life watching the sun come and go in the sky.  Over the years the winter solstice has become a much more important day in the year to me than any other.  The winter solstice is when the sun stops its slow slide to the horizon and begins its gentle journey back up, bringing with it our longer daylight hours.

Humans seem to be bound to the sun and the moon in ways that we can't really articulate.  Fire no doubt felt magical to early humans.  It brought heat but also...light.

Recently I had a conversation with someone about being supportive.  My life has benefited in so many ways by others helping and being supportive of me.  At one point I was feeling guilty after picking the brains of another weaver and apologized because I had no money to pay for her time.

She looked at me - hard - and said "Pass it on."

Her words sounded prophetic to me, as though I had suddenly found my calling.  Pass it on.  Be generous.  Do not hoard your talents, your knowledge.  Pass it on.

When she said those words to me there was no internet - or at least not for the public.  When I did join the internet and chat groups, I made a point of helping.  In some ways I gave many hours away, hours that I could have spent making money for myself.  But I remembered those words.  So, when I was taking a break from trying to earn money, I would give back.

Writing a book, two books, meant expenses above and beyond my time.  While I would love to give the books away, I can't afford to do that.  So yes, I am charging a price for them, but I have tried to make it as low as I can so that more people can afford it, not so low it will take 10 or 12 years to pay off those expenses.

As part of the introductory offer, I am giving a free PDF.  And that is truly a gift of thanks from me to those people who are willing to purchase the book pretty much sight unseen.

Ruth has been sweating bullets trying to get the PDF only option live on blurb and reports that she's nearly got it ready.

I hope that the book is useful/helpful to others who may be struggling.  I hope that people can light their candle from mine.

10 days to the solstice.  And the returning of the light.