Things Hidden – Life Beneath the Surface

Looking out my window at the new fallen snow –

I have always loved waking up in the morning to a blanket of new snow. It’s a special kind of quiet, before the snowplows get to work. Time to make a fire and get cozy. Why is a snowy morning so peaceful? For a brief time we are transported back to a simpler time, a more natural time. Now, after four years of living near the coast, with very little variation of seasons, I can gaze on a picture like this and be transported back to that quiet, peaceful scene.

It’s obvious that the snow is hiding things. You can’t see the road, or the grass underneath, or a little deeper – the daffodils patiently waiting to pop out above the whiteness. (Here are some daffodils I caught sneaking out a few years ago.)

The bare branches of the trees give the appearance that the tree is dead, but there is life teeming within. The pace may be slower, as when an animal goes into hibernation, but life is flowing all the same. Different trees have their own ways to survive the cold, but basically the bark provides protection, and the roots go deep down to where the earth maintains a more constant temperature. I am not a scientist, but I am fascinated by the way the plants and animals function and survive on this planet.

Life Wins

Even after a fire burns through a forest, leaving it looking like a moonscape, there is still life below. There is even life left in all but the most blackened trees. After a few months, sprouts appear on the ground, and leaves begin popping out in unexpected places on the trees. After a few years, there are reborn trees that all but cover up the black remains of the past.

Here is a poem from Francis of Assisi to contemplate this winter:

Dear God, please reveal to us

your sublime

beauty

that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere,

so that we will never again

feel frightened.

My divine love, my love

please let us touch

your face.

Look Within

Look within – somewhere, somewhere deep inside is a fountain of LIFE. Ask for it, wait for it – tap into the LIFE that is there for us all. Please share your reflections in the comments. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Enjoy my photos on wearable art and home decor HERE.