A Force of Nature
by Pete Kellerman
I am a morning person. The dawn is my quiet time, my personal time when I can revel in solitude.
I take my seat in the dark and await the light of a new day as it gently arrives like an incoming tide – barely noticeable at first. Soon, the darkness is displaced & there is no turning back.
My windows to the world from my perch sit to my right in the adjoining dining room. Orchids line the sills, trees beyond. The play of light morphs with the seasons and evokes feelings that herald first the departure, then the arrival of the quarterly response to the earth's dance with the sun. At this time of year, a warm, melancholy feeling sets in as light dissipates. A sense of loss that will yield to longing.
As I gaze out the window this morning, my memory recalls the vision of falling snow that charmed me so frequently this time last year. Snowfall is a an amazing event. A drop of water forms a crystalline jewel around a speck of dust and survives an incredible free-fall. Whether snow presents itself lightly, feather-like, gentle glide or a heavy rush that can be 'heard,' it is pure magic.
That magic, in my opinion, is perpetuated by its color. Snowflakes are not inherently white. But the spectrum of light that illuminates these wonderful crystals creates a beautiful contrast to the dark of winter, manifested in clouds, a naked landscape and a reclusive sun. Cloaked in a blanket of brilliant white snowfall, the winter dark is mercifully bearable thanks to the accumulation of countless, delicate crystals, like so many grains of sand.
It is a gift to behold a snowfall. Snow speaks without saying a word. The impact on our vision evokes a feeling of calm. The world around us often comes to a halt and we are challenged to be still. To let go of our drive to stay busy and sacrifice the need to let life sink in, be present to its message, to its gift, to the answers to prayers.
Contemplating a spiritual view of this sparkling jewel, a snowflake is easily analogous to the journey of our soul. A gift 'from above,' we are completely unique. As no two snowflakes are alike, so it is with our soul. We are challenged to bridge the paradox of celebrating the gift of our individuality, while standing united with the whole of humanity, where completeness mirrors the sublime beauty of freshly fallen snow. The darkness of winter provides the perfect canvas for the light we yearn for.
The extraordinary warm weather has delayed the onset of winter. I will wait patiently for the snowfall that accentuates the solitude of my morning ritual and ponder the lesson of its absence. A lesson that reminds me how subtly nature comforts my soul. A lesson that inspires a quiet awe - that a delicate, gentle crystal, is such a powerful force of nature.
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