Second Night of Yule 2014

You have made it to the second night of Yule. It seems like Mother Night gets all the attention, but what about these other nights? Well, they are part of the holiday as well. Here is a suggestion if you don't have other plans.

Different groups have different ways to celebrate the various nights of Yule, so if you have an alternative practice don't be offended. The second night is a good night to think about Those Who Have Gone Before. That's a fancy way of saying ancestors.

People used to have it pretty tough. There was no fiberglass insulation or central heat. Winter was serious business and there was a good chance that a person wouldn't live to see spring. This wasn't just in ancient times, but not too long ago. For some regions, it may not have changed much.

Still, our ancestors survived and passed down their genetics to us. That means that we still have that toughness in us. For this we should be grateful.

Another thing they did for us was to make the incremental technological improvements that made our survival a little easier. What we have now is based on the earlier works of the Ones Before. We aren't freezing or trying to suck the last bit of nutrition out of a turnip because they worked hard to make things better. This is another thing for which to be grateful.

Not only should we be grateful to our ancestors, but we should be trying to learn from their example. We need to work to make the world better for Those Who Come After. Our descendents can benefit from what we do today. It is something good that we can do that will outlive us.

So, tonight, on the Second Night of Yule, take some time to think about your ancestors and their peers. Thank them for what they passed down and promise to try to do the same. If you have children around, talk to them about the long lines of generations that stretch far back to the beginning and well forward to the end.