January
(the month is named after the Roman god, Janus, whose two faces looked in opposite directions and who was the god of doors, or openings.)
At the turning of the year
that two-faced Roman god
looks longingly back,
yet urges us forward
into the unknown.
We stand at the threshold,
knowing we must face
the unknowable,
yet lingering and clinging
to what we leave behind.
The changing pace of time
may fill us with dread
when anxieties overwhelm,
or danger threatens,
or the future has predictable limitations.
There may be hope in days ahead,
promises to be fulfilled,
vows to be made,
new life and new directions
glittering with expectation.
But the two-faced god
pays no regard to pain or pleasure,
simply stands like stone
gazing impassively
in both directions.
Thank God, the God we know,
holds past and future
in living, loving hands
and takes on flesh
to prove the truth of that involvement.
Marjorie Dobson © Stainer & Bell Ltd 2019 from Unravelling the Mysteries
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