I’ve been thinking a lot about winter – the darkness, the cold, the snow.  In Western MA we have definitely been in winter.  And if this winter is like winters-past, it will be a long one.

That said, I’ve been making sure to pay attention to the subtle day-to- day shifts since the winter solstice.  Watching each glimmer of light arriving a bit earlier each day and leaving a little later has given me so much hope and joy. Each day that passes feels a step closer to the warmth of our awaiting spring.  Each day that passes brings us a little more light. 

As I observe the changes in the sky each morning, I’m taken by the colors: just the other day the sky was streaked with light-blue and pink bands, hinting at the day to come. And in less than 30 minutes, the darkness had lifted to reveal a gray-blue beginning of the day.

I recently re-read a passage by Thich Nhat Hanh ("Natural Happiness", in How To Love), which linked happiness to mindfulness; how bringing more awareness into our actions and experiences, can invite joy into our hearts and into our lives; how becoming more aware of what is around us can allow us to move away from  planning, busyness and stressing out modes and get back in touch with the “conditions of happiness that are inside us and all around us.”

• Take a moment right now and look out the window  - What do you see?  Can you see the sun or the stars or a tree? 

• Close your eyes – can you feel your breath moving in and moving out? 

This is the simple truth of the moment – this is the miracle – this is the natural joy of what is already there. 

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