“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness."

"I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. 

​"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                           - Neil Gaiman
 
What are your new year intentions?

‘Tis the season for bright lights, holiday cards, parties, excessive shopping and overindulgence. Delightful Christmas specials flood the networks while traditional Hallmark Christmas movies paint the picture of the perfect family.

As the holiday’s approach, many are eager to gather with family and friends to share in the seasonal giving, eat all the yummy holiday treats, and drink holiday cheer.  While this may be an enjoyable experience for many, for others this can be challenging. Many family members naturally grow apart and have little in common.  Some have family conflict that goes back years and can be easily triggered.  It is not uncommon to face conflict when we get together with families.
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Holiday's may represent an entirely different set of emotions with the pain and agony from the loss of a loved one, separation or divorce. For others, the season brings up intense feelings of sadness, loneliness, pain, depression, stress or anxiety for various reasons. The difficulty of helping someone suffering with chronic illness, substance abuse, aging parents, problematic family members may change the pulse of the holiday causing the magic of the season to fade.  

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Accordingly, many will see less sunlight today than any day of the year.
 
The lack of light and freezing cold denote long dreary months of winter ahead for many.
 
Yet the winter solstice signifies a time for quiet renewal and self-reflection. Similar to animals that hibernate, if we align and make peace with the season, slow our pace, and retreat within perhaps it can allow us much needed rest and rejuvenation.