Walking after a big snowstorm is magical. There is something so sweet about the fresh look snow gives everything. Whatever is unsightly becomes hidden under a blanket of white. Streets, straggly bushes, construction cones, old mottled leaves, garbage cans, junky cars and bikes—all gone and in their place, strange and beautiful shapes of white on white. No matter where you are, everything looks pristine. Sounds are muted, and when the sun shines through the ice crystals, it is one of the best art installations around.

I especially like being in the woods after it snows because sound is so different. Wind can make the snow move: swirling, seemingly falling up, or falling in clumps after a squirrel races up a branch. But even if a great amount of snow falls off the tree, it falls on more snow and so every noise is less noisy. Even the sound of my feet and my poles on the snow is softer and hushed.

Silence is easier to come by in the snow, and silence is what we need.

Silence is the great antidote to our current culture of over stimulation and data saturation.

If we are feeling overwhelmed by the news, by Covid, by living in 2022, I suggest entering into the great silence as often as possible. This is helpful even if we are lonely, and tired of living alone.

In silence we hear our own thinking, our own confusion. We are amazed that we just thought of Dana Murphy, arch enemy in kindergarten for reasons we can no longer remember. We write scripts we are never going to use, we judge almost everything good, bad, neutral.  We feel our body ache in places, we realize we are itchy, or anxious, our sad.

No matter what state we are in, if we stay with ourselves, trying not to judge our monkey minds, we eventually find the stillness underneath. Under the self-flagellating thoughts we find peace. Under the  homicidal impulses, we find peace. Under the list- making fault finding complaining, we find a still point, and peace.

When we can “drop in” to that place of stillness and emptiness, we are held. From there, we derive our strength, our stamina, our inspiration.

Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, you can take time out. You can rest in the deep silence available to us every day, no matter what is happening outside. I wish you many travels to the great silence. It is a healing place. May you go there now!

With love and faith,

Rev Susan