Bright Spots

It has been cold here in Minnesota. In fact, we haven’t had air temperatures this cold since 2019. It’s the kind of cold that hurts and, sometimes after being out in it for awhile, it takes hours to feel warm again once you’ve gone inside. Minnesotans are a hearty bunch but even the heartiest among us will limit time outside when the air temperature drops to -21 Fahrenheit with a -47 windchill like it did towards the end of January. But, if you have been keeping up with the news, you know we haven’t had that luxury. Despite the cold, people in Minnesota have been marching, gathering to mourn, and looking out for and taking care of our neighbors. The weather is finally changing for the better—highs will be above freezing all week—but what Minneapolis is facing hasn’t changed, despite what you may have heard.

Sunrise through a frozen window

I’ve written before about finding light in the darkness before and the response of everyday Minnesotans to the ICE siege here has certainly been a tremendous source of light, but in the dark days of winter, we often need literal light as well. In that spirit, Kris, Stella, and I took an ice luminary class, learning to harness the cold to create something beautiful to contribute to the Northside Luminary Light Up.

We participated in the event last year, but our luminaries were so small and wonky that they didn’t even warrant candles. They were just used as decor at the bases of the better luminaries. Taking the class helped us up our game. This year, we made 31 luminaries and they turned our so much better than last year and I am proud to report that they were all lit up for the event.

Casper loaded with our luminaries for the Northside Luminary Light Up

This year’s event was billed as a 40-hour vigil for Minneapolis:

Bringing light to the darkness. Join your neighbors and others from our broader Twin Cities community for a time of reflection, healing, love, and peace, surrounded by beautiful ice luminaries.

Volunteers worked for two days to transport over 400 luminaries to the site and create the installations. It was absolutely beautiful and the pictures don’t do it justice.

As I write this, the sun is shining and the high today is supposed to be 46 degrees, which reminds me that it won’t always be so dark and cold, figuratively and literally. My hope is that whatever we have learned from the darkness endures and that real change comes with the light.

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