Looking out on a very foggy damp Kendal, you can hardly believe that this was the view from Scout Scar the day before yesterday, but that is what makes November such a wonderful month (not just because my birthday is in it.) It is the range of types of weather, and especially the differences in light. (I might be a little odd but I really like the dark mornings and evenings as well, as long as I do not have to drive too far in them.) As the month gets darker, the daylight dwindles to an increasingly brief period, and when the sun does appear and is really bright there is something truly uplifting about it. It is easy to see why nearly every community has had a festival of light in the middle of winter, why we have the feast of Saint Lucy, Lucia = light on 13th December, and why our Advent candles increase in number as we come to the feast of the arrival of the Light of the World. It strikes me that when things get dark in our lives we need to look again at what we have, who we have. What are the lights in our world that never go away, but possibly we are so used to standing in their light that we have stopped realising what a blessing they are? I know I can do that. As we move towards a big family feast, Advent could be a time for really re-appreciating those around us, who, like the November light, come in a range of types and differences and yet can all add to the light.
Kendal Catholic Priest 