Winter Solstice — Here Comes The Sun

Today, December 21, marks the Winter Solstice. It has long been one of Suzy’s favorite days, and over the years, I have grown to love it too.

The reasons are simple. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. When Suzy was a little girl, she was quite small for her age, and perhaps because of that, she developed a deep affection for small things. For instance, Rhode Island was her favorite state, and the shortest day of the year felt like it belonged specifically to her.

I hadn’t actually heard of the Solstice until after we were married, but you can probably guess why I’ve come to appreciate it: the longest night of the year simply means more time for me to sleep.

While many dread the onset of darkness—and for some, this season of cold and pitch-black skies can feel like an eternity—the Solstice carries a profound promise. Starting tomorrow, and for the next six months, each day will grow a little longer and a little brighter. The tide has turned. As my favorite Beatles tune reminds me, “Here comes the sun.”

I find myself humming that song whenever the news of the day feels overwhelming or bleak. Today may seem like a long day of darkness in America, but we should remember that from this point forward, the light is returning. Each day will be brighter than the last—here comes the sun!

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.