Member-only story
One Winter Solstice, a Beautiful Soul Rode Away
The Winter Solstice has never been the same again
The turning of the earth marks a significant moment each December, as the sun reaches its lowest point relative to the Northern Hemisphere, just before the calendar date tells us that a new year has dawned. As we enter a new year, we reflect on the one just ending, and declare our wishes and desires for the one just beginning.
So began 2015. It was a time of much change for my family. For me here in Devon, as I extracted myself from a relationship I’d long been trapped in through manipulation and coercion; for my sister on the other side of the world, as she moved countries for the fourth time in twelve years.
Not so much for my mother up in Oxford, nor for my dad and his wife, Ani, in London. The previous year had been stressful for my dad and Ani, as they fought, and sadly lost a court case against Oxfam, concerning discrimination at work. Oxfam could afford any lawyers they wanted. My dad and Ani sadly not.
The stress of the case had left them depleted and drained. But now, with the dawning of a new year, it was time to look forward again. To count their graces and celebrate all they did have, rather than all they had lost.
