I wasn’t quite sure what time of year it was for a while, as the cold has come and gone over the past several weeks. We have flirted with winter, but then a warm spring-like day throws us for a loop. But as I stepped out this morning, I could feel a certain bite on my skin that assured my soul that the frigged cold was here to stay. I have mixed feelings about the cold. Part of me is invigorated by the bite that gives a blow to the skin; the same playful part of me that enjoyed jumping in the snow in just my bathing suit years ago as a child. Although sometimes uncomfortable, cold can wake us up from the lethargy of the heat.

But, there is a part of the coldness that creates a barrier between me and the wild. On a warm spring, winter, or autumn day, the natural world seems to give a warm hug to the visitor. In the winter, we humans are reminded how alien we are to the wild cold. No matter how many layers of clothing we put on, sitting still in the cold can be painful, and sometimes unbearable to the human visitor. It is during the warmer seasons that we see ourselves as part of the wild, and although quite different, we can easily see the creatures around as our brothers and sisters of creation. I have a harder time doing this when the cold is here.

As I heard nature’s sermon in the past seasons, I have heard the resounding message of “being still”. I have tried to train myself, as I heard these words of God through the priestly creatures around. Just as I have begun to get used to stilling in the wild, I have started hearing a different homily, with a different virtue altogether. I have now seen nature move desperately for survival. It is through the restlessness of the white-tailed deer that it stays alive during the frigid winter nights, and it is through the extensive pilgrimage from the north, that the Canada goose survives the cold season.

Perhaps it is not the movement, or the stilling that is bad. Maybe it is not the cold or heat that is a vice. There is a time for everything under the sun as Ecclesiastes says, and perhaps nature has just gotten the timing down in life. Creation seems to know when to move, and when to sit still. Perhaps we can learn something about timing from our brothers and sisters of creation, as they react to the different seasons of life.

Still me O Lord, when I need to be stilled,
and nudge me, when I need to be nudged.
Warm me O God, when my heart is cold,
and cool me when my skin is sweltered. Amen.