Dear Students, Colleagues, Trustees, and Friends of the College,
On the first day of December, I found myself seated on the floor, half-heartedly watching yet another football game as we wound down our Thanksgiving holiday. Suddenly I perked up, not because of a long field goal or an interception, but because of the thick, white snow falling in Orchard Park, home of the Buffalo Bills. An often unwilling spectator in a family of serious football fans, what I was enjoying most was watching the heavy sheets of snow blanket Highmark Stadium, players slipping and sliding on the field. Inspired—perhaps for the first time by football—I was soon happily back at Thomas, snowshoeing our newly blanketed Sukeforth Family Trails.
It’s probably nostalgia for a childhood spent in the snow belt of Central New York, but I relish this time of year. I relish the first snow, running in the cold, and the days between the end of daylight-saving time and the winter solstice, when darkness descends and winter begins in earnest. I always find a way to celebrate the solstice, not because it marks the lengthening of the days but because it is the shortest and darkest day of the year. I light a fire or a candle, remember my connection to the natural world, and embrace the day as permission to hunker down and get cozy.
In Maine, sunset comes even earlier than it did in my hometown, and this can add to the stresses of the season. Some struggle with seasonal affective disorder; some struggle to find shelter and stay warm; and final exams and upcoming holidays can come with their own forms of anxiety, grief, or sadness. My hope for all of us this season is that we find comfort and joy wherever we can and that we set gentle expectations for ourselves and others as we come out of the darkest days of the year. I wish you peace, light, and, when the time comes, a restful, cozy winter break.
Sending my best to you,
Jeannine Diddle Uzzi, Ph.D.
President