"Winter's Reflections" by Loreena McKennitt

As we grow older, we can only hope that wisdom is seeping into our bones so that we may draw upon it on an instinctive level in times of joy and sorrow to help us sort through life’s priorities. Christmas, and the various holidays which cohabitate in this time of long dark nights, seem to bring this process even closer to our hearts.

For so many of us – perhaps too many compared to our parent’s generation – we want for nothing. And when one sifts away the chaff of material trappings from everyday life and focuses on the things we remember, it is the relationships we have – or no longer have – that resonate in such great measure. It is not the gifts we’ve received over the years, the technology or other superfluous things, but rather the time we have spent together that we remember and cherish.

I am reminded of how many different kinds of relationships there are: family, friends, colleagues, community, religious affiliations, pets, teachers and schools, and how much care and skill these relationships need in order to be healthy, enriching and long living. Like a garden, they need regular tending, yet the fruits of these relations cannot be compared to any other physical matter on this earth.

Those who have experienced loss of relationships know how easy it is to take people for granted and how much someone is missed once they are gone... had they only known. Of course we all realize no one is perfect, just as no relationship is perfect, but I share the view that every life has meaning, whether or not we know what that meaning is. Indeed, we may spend many years unlocking the mysteries of who we are – and who we are to each other.

Throughout the course of my life I have been blessed with so many good friends, colleagues and relationships of all kinds...people who have imparted to me the benefit of their experience and wisdom, who have been there, even when I couldn’t always be there for them. My life would not have been nearly as enriched without them. Some I have met close to home, others in faraway places.

Once again, I wish to thank all of you who have generously shared your thoughts and time with regard to my music and performances, and I treasure the mutual interests we share through the music. This too has enhanced my life in so many ways.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those who live their lives in service to others, in whatever way that is or through whatever professional path they have chosen. May your service inspire us all to reach toward that noble goal of being our brother’s and sister’s keepers.

In the spirit of love and peace, may I wish you and yours a very happy, healthy New Year.

Loreena

Loreena's Holiday Reflections

Issue 7, Volume 1

December 31, 2013