Yule & Winter Solstice

12.21.2023

As we're fully into the holiday season, I feel extra grateful this year!

The last few years, it's been hard not to be in my Grinch mood, a role I inherited from my brother in spirit. And this year, it really tried to make an appearance!

But I can only talk about what I'm grateful for if I talk about why. It's not news that there are horrible atrocities and injustices in our world right now.

We are experiencing global and community trauma, mourning, and grief on top of our own personal experiences. We are all connected, yet making the changes many of us see as necessary can be challenging.

All of this can make me feel helpless & hopeless. How about you?

Especially when what I'm grateful for is that I am not experiencing the unimaginable pain that others are going through right now.

I am grateful that my body, pronouns, and needs are respected and that I don't have to hide who I am.

I am grateful I live in a state that protects my reproductive rights and that I won't be arrested or charged for something my body does naturally.

I am grateful that I don't live in a country where the only choice for survival is to trek across many borders through unknown lands, where the chance of being r*ped is better than staying.

I am grateful that the children in my life are safe and that we are not missing them this year, as many parents and families grieve the loss of their babies to g_n vi*lence.

I am grateful that my Queer family is safe and with us this year as many mourn the siblings they've lost to hate and bigotry.

I am grateful that my family and I are safe and not being actively b*mbed, and my friends and family aren't being ki11ed daily.

So this year, although I miss my family in spirit, especially those I've lost suddenly and tragically, I will hug the ones who are here and be so grateful we still have them on earth.

And I am so grateful for my partner, who encouraged us to set up our Yule Tree even though I wasn't feeling it. As we decorated it, I realized how genuinely grateful & privileged we are just being together, safe in our home, decorating our silly tree.

Don't take the small moments for granted!