By Lisa Steele-Maley,
January 5, 2021Sunrise, 7:16 am; Sunset, 4:08 pmI notice the lengthening days. This is not a surprise—we passed the solstice several weeks ago. The days had been slowly and steadily getting longer, but in such a subtle way that it didn’t rise to awareness. And then, coming in late from an afternoon walk, I catch pale pink and orange colors of sunset beginning to splash across the sky. The afternoon is newly spacious. The burst of energy brought by the light is doubled by my delight at noticing it as if for the first time.
January 6, 2021Sunrise, 7:16 am; Sunset, 4:09 pmI observe, along with the rest of the world, as the shadowy darkness of American exceptionalism claws its way into the light. The dark underbelly of our nation—with its foundations of racism and violence, greed and corporate rule, individualism and separation—is demanding to be seen and acknowledged as it becomes obsolete, slowly but surely replaced by life-affirming ways of being and doing. Watching news accounts of terrorists entering the US Capitol reminds me of watching the planes fly into the twin towers over and over again during the news reporting on 9/11/2001. Then, as today, the only thought I can hold is, ‘this changes everything.’
I remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. words: “the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice”. I imagine lending words and weight to the arc of the moral universe in whatever small ways I can, grateful that we are in the arc of the celestial year that turns toward the sun. This is more than poetic symmetry. It feels capable of bringing some alignment between human will and universal action.
January 20, 2021Sunrise, 7:09 am; Sunset, 4:27 pmWith tears in my eyes and joy in my heart, I join our country to welcome a new president and vice president. Even shrunken to the 13 IPad perched on the kitchen counter, the Inauguration conveys the grandeur and pomp, gravitas and authenticity of the moment. In the wake of unrest and in the midst of a pandemic, we celebrate a handful of firsts and a call for unity. As President Biden closes his inaugural address, a beam of sunlight splashes across his face. The inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman, closes with words of light, possibility, and responsibility. “The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
January 21, 2021Sunrise, 7:08 am; 4:28 pmI am up before the sun, casting my light and heat into this new day. In the days and weeks ahead, as the days continue to grow longer and brighter in the northern hemisphere, may we each tend the light within ourselves and each other with tender care and fierce love. May we be brave enough to see it. May we be brave enough to be it.
In her actions and her words, Lisa Steele-Maley weaves together her roles as mother, daughter, wife, writer, and educator. Ordained by the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME) in 2019, Lisa nurtures the fierce and tender connections between self, spirit, land and community. Her writing reflects a strong connection to the affirming rhythms of the natural world and keen attention to the details of daily living and relationships.
Lisa lives in an aging farmhouse on the coast of Maine with her husband, two teenage sons, and a handful of animals. Her newest book, Arriving Here: Reflections from the Heart and Trail, was published in December 2020. Learn more at lisa.steelemaley.io.
Sunrise by Thatcher Steele-Maley
