Winter Hush…
“That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.” —Ali Smith
All the long weekend, even before the dusting of snow arrived here in Austin, there has been a quiet, a hush, to my neighborhood.
Winter’s cold has worked her magic, supporting an inner and outer slower, quieter pace, if we allow it.
How are you handling the challenges of winter and embracing its gifts? Some truly struggle at this time of year. If this is you, please get the help you need and enjoy the fun distractions that support you until the color and warmth of spring arrive.
If you’re able, I invite you to create your own healthy mix of time in community connecting and time in solitude listening to what spirit is sharing amidst winter’s hush. Whether during a solitary walk on a quiet trail or on a comfy sofa in front of a fire, these quiet moments are the light and water nourishing the seeds of your spring.
May you be blessed by winter’s hush. May the winter reveal to you all you need to know and do to be ready for a vibrant spring.
The Flower of Winter…
“Stillness is the flower of winter. All hope waits beneath a blanket of white.”
—Unknown
Vital for Spiritual Growth
“Few consider their inner wintertime something to enjoy, yet this season is vital for spiritual growth. The human spirit needs dormancy and rest, silence and solitude. Winter provides this opportunity so we can slow down and refocus our direction and purpose in life.”
—Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr
The First Step
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
—Martin Luther King Jr.
Winter’s Cloak
This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.
Let the dawns
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.
Let me lie in the cave
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.
Let me seek solace
in the empty places
of winter’s passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.
—Joyce Rupp, The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr.
