CLEAN SLATE All surfaces of earth are white. Snow holds the land and its inhabitants in its silence. The air, fresh and calm now, is void of birds still safely tucked away from the overnight snow storm. Not a sound is in the trees. Not a footprint is on the expanse of white. The day is fresh and clean.“For You alone my soul waits in silence; from the beloved comes my salvation. (Ps 62:1)Two people who matter to me deeply have turned their backs on me. How do we hold the silent space between us? One long day from now, or perhaps tomorrow, these beloveds may t u r n a n d c o m e b a c k . Meanwhile, my troubled soul waits in silence, choosing to prepare ahead of time the expanse between with forgiveness, trust and love. Perhaps if I don’t mess it up in the interim, we can start from a clean slate, their inner storm over.

“For You alone my soul waits in silence; my hope is from the Beloved. (Ps 62:5ff).. In silence rests my freedom and guidance.. My son knowing the breach, asks me what I have to say. Take a lesson from the Psalmist of old who looks to the land, to all of Creation for guidance. Reading the scriptures from the viewpoint of the land, it is plain to see ancient Israel’s sustaining respect for the importance to all life of being one in the land. Relationship with God is entwined with kinship with the land for survival depends upon it. So, I look to nature’s storms as a teacher. Whether snow, wind, rain, or relational - our reactions to storms impact the mending. When contemplating my response to being spurned and not being able to fix it, life is teaching me what fits me best. I have come to hold the s-w-e-e-p between as the earth holds its silence on the heels of a winter snow storm.

Likely, all of us experience chasms with another. Until both parties are willing, repairing the breach seems beyond grasp. For now, in the snowy morning after, even years, waiting in the silence, keeping

the heart uncluttered, readying for new footprints allows possibility. To keep my heart safely tucked away in a cavity, will only rob myself and others of its song.

“For You render to us all that we offer to You - fear begets fear, love begets love. For You alone my soul waits in silence; from the Beloved

comes my life. (Ps 62: 11-12) In a day when the masses go about neglecting the primacy of land, failing to meet its expectations for care and respect, we are in

a storm of our own making. It is baffling how we turn a blind eye to this storm of delusion. Fancifully, we act as if all will be well for our children’s children without our mass participation in repairing the breach between humankind and the land. We act as if God alone will save the plane, but God needs our willing participation. This I know, silence on this matter will not ease the fears - “fear begets fear”. Our sustaining respect for the importance of the land and our loving actions, now, impact the mending for all of life - “love begets love. The question for each of us is: ARE WE WILLING ?

www.primaverapeace.org! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! January 20, 2015

W I N D O W S : Soulful Glimpses into Primavera

Jan 25 3rd Epiphany Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:5-12 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20Feb 1 4th Epiphany Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28

Susan Morley

“All circling surfaces of earth were white. No shape or shadow moved the flight Of winter birds. Snow held the earth its silence. We could pick no birdsong from the wind.”

- Wendell Berry , “Elegy”