First Snow

          We have been blessed with an exceptionally long fall, rich in color, softening reluctantly into the deeper golds and purples of approaching winter. But last night a miracle happened: it snowed, the first snowfall of the season. What a delight to wake up to! Everything is quiet, each twig and branch outlined in snow, the messy details of fall smoothed over and hidden under a blanket of white. The structure that underlies the forest and trees, the buildings and roads is visible, pure. I can see the beauty easily, each hill and meadow, each branch and twig; intricate yet simple. Its the pattern of life that connects us all. It is ancient, but new, and fresh, and somehow different.

            Like the beauty outside, it is so much easier to see our own spirituality when we simplify our vision and soften the messy details of our existence through the focusing power of prayer.  The daily details of our lives are hidden under the blanket of silence, and we can see who we are, not just people of value, but the very expression of Spirit Itself. We are ancient, God’s creation, yet new, fresh, and somehow each different.

            Its so easy to avoid taking that step into the silence of meditation, easy to avoid quieting the monkey mind that chatters of our daily duties and preoccupations, for that seems to be our “normal” state.  Yet without journeying into peace, soft as a new snowfall, we may find it difficult to stay centered, aware.  We may lose sight of the simplicity of our Being in the messy details of life. It happens to everyone, I believe, certainly it happens to me and people I know. But the answer is as simple and pure as the act of prayer itself.

            The Silence awaits, and welcomes us.