The Gilpin House — in the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford — predates the War of Independence. The tree to the left has been there since at least the time the Constitution was written.
Hanukkah, Christmas, whatever festival of light is celebrated, is a push against the dark. Our northern hemisphere experiences solstice when we reach the darkest day of the year and we respond to this by celebrating the Light with lots of lights. Nevertheless, we can’t deny the darkness or death. Just as the solstice is part of the cycle of the seasons, so too is death…