It's always darkest before the dawn

Are you sure? How do they know? Levels of light may be measured in lux, but can any scientific evidence back this trite saying up with an equivalent measurement of darkness? I don't seem to be getting much feedback on these blogs via the site, so if there are any scientists or amateur boffins out there who would like to offer any thoughts on this one, do let me know won't you.

It's one of those sayings I guess which links experience with everyday observation. Ancient man must have realised that after the event we now call the Winter Solstice, already a week past, the days seemed to be getting longer and they must have felt a blessed relief from the cold darkness of winter. And yet, what's always struck me as paradoxical about the period after Christmas is that while the evenings undoubtedly lighten rapidly, mornings are a different story! As I type, it's still decidedly dark to the West, and will be for another hour yet, but over to the East it's definitely la lighter shade of blue.

It's the sort of darkness which makes me wish we were a hibernating species at times, but thanks to Pipex Dial regarding these extra Christmas bank holidays as "normal" days, I'm back to early morning blogging to be able to benefit from unmetered access before dawn. OK, it's not my phone bill but my generous Mum and brother's at the moment, but I still try to watch the pennies and anyway it seems impossible to get a connection during peak time.
Today is that strange creation of recent decades, as I recall, called "Holiday Tuesday". This is supposed to be to make up for Christmas Day falling on a Saturday this year, when (the argument goes) many people would normally be off work anyway so would not benefit from the holiday. I'm all in favour of more holidays, but it does lead to an image of Britain being the lazy man of Europe at this time of year. Mind you, I was checking a list of public holidays in other European countries last night, and we are the only country that has both yesterday- which I still maintain was the Boxing Day holiday proper- and today as acknowledged Bank Holidays this year. Yet much of Europe has Christmas Eve as a holiday- understandable as it is when their main celebrations take place- and New Year's Eve. Plus, in several cases, Epiphany or Twelfth Night. Lazy, us? Perhaps you ought to look to your own house first.

THIS TWILIGHT GAP
Radio 4 has a loosely spiritual programme on Sundays called "Something Understood". While I still bemoan the loss of its forerunner programme of favourite hymns to start the day, this show can often give very insightful and interesting approaches to the familiar landmarks of human experience and just occasionally come up with something profound. It can have a tendency to be a bit new ageist, but I did like this week's show which looks at this strange dying days of the year in December between Christmas and the New Year, which were named "this Twilight Gap" by the popular guru who calls himself "The Barefoot Doctor" this time last year. Copyright restrictions probably prevented him paying homage to Rod Serling's zone, I suspect.

The Doctor's conclusion is that this is a time for gentle reflection and self-analysis, nothing too taxing or hard but I'd tend to go along with that view I guess. The festivities are drawing to a close, as is the year, and I must start once again to think of how I want to spend the next year of my life- or rather, to ask God to guide me on where I can best apply my abilities.

THE HARDEST QUESTION
Meanwhile, for some of us the holiday and the rest goes on and I feel like going back to bed. For others though, life after Christmas was changed in an instant, tragically and disastrously, for the latest post Christmas reminder that however sophisticated our society, we are still at the mercy of the forces of nature. The Tsunami which has hit the Indian Ocean, devastating many countries and causing the loss of countless thousands of lives is a terrible event which I cannot trivialise for a moment. It understandably causes many to ask "Where is your God of love" to allow this? I can't pretend any easy answer- and there isn't one. But I do know that His Love is revealed in the humanity which, as with last year's earthquake in Iran, will be most manifest in the aid, support and compassion which the world will now rush in to rescue these devastated communities. Where there is disaster and death, there can still be love and life.