To choose love is not something we do once.
It is something we need to choose
again and again and again.
-Simone Weil-
It’s been said by many throughout the ages that the earth, moon, sun, sky and entire creation is a means to love fueled by an energy source that permeates all life forms and is known by many names and no name. This being true, we are all a means to love, along with our children, ancestors, friends, associates, strangers and even our so called enemies. The paradox is that we also have the capacity to not align with this Source energy, not choose love. Consciously and unconsciously we resist love to choose fear and all that comes with it. The choice to love is ever present; ours to choose and not.
Winter’s invitation to love comes in the light of days, the darkness of nights, the cold of snow and the warmth of what we think we know. It comes in the births of our children and the deaths of our parents; in the cloudy skies and the blink of our eyes. It comes in the gifts we give and receive, in our tears and cheers, in the grace of an embrace, in the challenges and mysteries in every new face. To choose love is an ongoing invitation to awaken us to the many wonders of life including our difficulties and strife.
In the winter season of barrenness we are humbled to find warm places, generative graces, solitary spaces and heartfelt homes filled with smiling faces. The cold of the days and darkness of nights remind us of times before that held more life and delight. With snow falling endlessly, plants and animals under cover, we long for new ways of being, a divine longing for safety, shelter and companionship. In the silence of this season we can begin to find reason to awaken again and give thanks for it all.
Decades ago I spent a winter of solitude in a primitive log cabin at eleven thousand feet in the Colorado Rockies. Each day was a day of silence and wonder. I was humbled by the mystery of life and the wonder of the moments. I would sit for hours watching the weather, the storms coming in from the west and wonder why I was there, why the love of my life had abandoned me and what these moments were asking of me. The invitation to love plunged me deep in to my own soul and into the soul of winter. The one room cabin became a womb, a birthing place of grace. An awakening space.
My loss became my gain, again and again. I found a safe place for me, beyond false pride to integrity. It was a place called home deep inside myself; a place where I could live into my true authentic Self. The white world of snow reflected a love for me that helped me grow. What seemed dead invited me back to life, beyond what I thought I could ever know. Finally, in the month of May I walked down the mountain to begin a new day. Winter’s invitation to love opened my heart, showed me its soul and freed a love in me that I could finally grow. Daily now, I listen for the invitation to Love. Do you?
As you encounter the days, weeks and months of winter; awaken to the subtle energies of the season. Feel the wonder of the snow days. Drop your agendas for a while to walk in the snow, feel the cold on your cheeks, warm yourself by the fire. . . .
Take time this month to slow way down and listen to the invitation to love that winter calls you to. Stop, look, listen and be present to the sounds of silence. Experience the darkness and light. Create a different pace that’s filled with grace and delight. . . .
Choose love for your family and friends and……choose love for yourself again and again and again. Notice what happens when you slow down, listen, look, love, laugh and lighten up. Allow yourself to be surprised by love, joy and a peaceful serenity. Do it now, again and again!
Love and Blessings,
Fr. Rick+