I loved the blizzard on Saturday, the world made all new.  “One must have a mind of winter,” Wallace Stevens writes in his poem, “The Snow Man,” and I love that phrase, “a mind of winter.”

What would that look like I wonder, to have a “mind of winter?”  For many animals, I know, winter brings a time of hibernation, and although few of us can truly do that, these pandemic times we live in have, in some ways, asked that of us. I know there is a downside – the sameness of the days, the isolation, the limited range of activities.

But could be an “upside” as well?  Is there a way, I wonder, that I could try to find a “mind of winter,” shift my attitude so this becomes a “spiritual hibernation” time, and by that I mean, a chance to deeply rest, read,  pray, be.  A time to rest and recharge and prepare for the longer, sunnier and more active days to come.

The drumbeat of constant change that we’ve become accustomed to during Covid has taken its toll.  I hope this spring we’ll find ways as a community to come together, have fun, and begin to heal.

The spring will also be a time of preparation.  I’ll be preparing to say goodbye to you in June, something that won’t be easy!  And you’ll be preparing to welcome your next settled minister.  Yes, more change is on the horizon.  We’ll move through it as we always do, one day at a time.

It brings to mind a prayer that one of you shared with me.  May it be our blessing as we walk forward in these days.

In faith,
Jenny

Source of all blessing,
you bless us with change –
in the seasons of the year, from
snow to greening, flowering,
fruiting, and harvest, in the
seasons of life, from childhood to
youth, full ripeness, and saging.
All living things keep changing.
May I welcome change as a sacred
opportunity to grow and savor
in each unrepeatable moment’s
fleetingness what Is beyond
change.

by Brother David Steindl-Rast
(From his book, 99 Blessings: An Invitation to Life)