Spirit of Life,
Mysterious energy that enlivens all beings:
Winter is releasing its hold on this land.
The days grow longer
the sun touches our faces and hearts
the snow grows soft and melts
fresh breezes sigh through the pines
there is a feeling of awakening.
Outdoors the snow still tells stories
of the lives of our kin
by their tracks.
Crows, voles, rabbits, deer…
where they ate,
where they moved in search of safety,
where they rested,
where they flew away.
What stories might be read of our lives
by our tracks?
Would they be stories of frenetic circling,
of worrying at the same old things,
of hurrying and hurrying and hurrying?
Or would they be stories
of tranquil movement
from one task to the next
of stopping to contemplate the beauty
of snow sparkling in the sun,
windblown patterns in a field,
ice heaped along the lakeshore,
the blue upon blue of the water?
What stories might be read of our lives
by our tracks?
May they be stories of peace and beauty.
May they be stories of abundance and joy.
Blessed be.