Earlier this week, we had a wonderful overnight snowstorm, that went well into the early morning. As is my custom, I was working late into the evening and found myself wandering outside to get some fresh air and a break. And I was taken aback by the stillness. I looked out upon our empty street, amidst the slowly falling snow, and noticed how quiet things were. There was a stillness, which was magical. As I walked down the driveway, I felt and heard the snow underneath my feet. I heard an owl way off in the distance, and the distant siren of a plow truck. I felt more connected to the scene that I had most scenes. It’s almost like my awareness rose because I finally slowed down enough to feel it.
Working for a church, I often hear how God speaks in a whisper, and the only way to hear it is when we slow down. And while not everyone believes in God, most of us can agree that there’s a certain harmony to the universe which is beyond our comprehension. If you consider all the circumstances that have aligned for our universe to exist, and even for our planet to sustain life while others in the solar system do not (or so far as we know), is just too perfect to be coincidence. And we as the creation are part of the perfection, and maybe that’s why some details of the creation of the universe may always be beyond our understanding. After all the creation is not always meant to understand the creator. Or the nature of the creation. But I think once we slow down, and really listen, quietly, we can hear the universe humming around us. And be more in tune with it.
One of my favorite things about growing up in New England was the winters, and specifically there was something about the night. And one night when I was walking around at night during the New England winter, I was taken aback by the beauty of the stillness and wrote it down in the form of a poem. May it remind us all to slow down and enjoy the beauty and gifts of creation that are around us.
In Evening’s Stillness
I set out on a stroll
Called by the calm crisp evening
I walked coatless by intention
To feel the New England air
Cool my soul
Down by the icy pond
the rustle of leaves quickly replaced
By rushing waters
Unhindered by icy barriers
Runs over the waterfall
With determined nature
I sit on the edge
Dangling shoes above
The rushing water
Glistening with fleeting light
Running on the edge
As the cold sets in my core
I make for home
Feeling refreshment through decreased internal temperature
Such a beautiful place