Years ago we read the Dark is Rising sequence of books for older children and young adults, long before we had children of our own. . They are exciting, adventurous, and almost mystical stories about the struggle between forces of good and evil called the Light and the Dark. I returned to The Dark is Rising a year ago and it really is marvelously written and quite a page-turner.
Cooper is now well into her eighties but she has published a picture book which I had to buy which is based on a poem she wrote in the 1970's called The Shortest Day for a Winter Solstice event which has continued to the present day. I like it because it brings in Christian imagery and Hannukah and Diwali, all celebrating the power of both darkness and light. The illustrations by Carson Ellis are wonderful.
In an interview Cooper spoke of returning to the theme of light and darkness and her childhood experience of being in an air raid shelter during WWII with only the light of a candle. When the bombs exploded close by the candle would shake and flicker.
As always we celebrate the birth of Christ, Light of the World, in this season, but I appreciate the inclusivity here as well. And the visual reminders that darkness and light are more than metaphors, they are a reality of all of Creation. As we move past the Winter Solstice we need all the light we can muster.
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