Sister Doreen’s Reflections
Today I woke up to a white world which tells me that winter is here, and I wonder that time travels so fast as the days shorten and the nights lengthen! Once again I share a deeply meaningful poem with you by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr:
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 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, when ice storms crush our hearts and homes,
You call forth the good in us as we rush to help one another.
Blessed are you, Winter, your inconsistent moods
Often herald spring’s arrival, yet how gracefully you step aside
When her time has come.
