A Winter Blessing

         
             Blessed are you, winter,

             dark season of waiting,

 you affirm the dark seasons of our lives

forecasting the weather of waiting in hope.

           Blessed are you, winter,

   you faithfully guard a life unseen,

calling those who listen deeply

to discover winter rest.

Blessed are you, winter,

frozen and cold on the outside,

within your silent, nurturing womb

you warmly welcome all that longs for renewal.

Blessed are you, winter,

your bleak, barren trees

preach wordless sermons

about emptiness and solitude.

Blessed are you, winter,

you teach us valuable lessons

about waiting in darkness

with hope and trust.

Blessed are you, winter,

season of blood red sunsets

and star-filled, long, dark nights,

faithfully you pour out your beauty.

Blessed are you, winter,

when your tiny snowflakes

flurry through the air,

you awaken our sleeping souls.

Blessed are you, winter,

with your wild and varied moods,

so intent on being yourself,

you refuse to be a people-pleaser.

Blessed are you, winter,

your inconsistent moods,

often challenge spring’s arrival,

yet how gracefully you step aside

when her time has come.

Circle of Life

Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkerhr

May our winter beckon us to a season of rest as we wait in hope for the new life of spring.

With God's blessings,