The Weight of Wonder

The last of this season’s major snow is falling here today. Close to if not even more than a foot of white fluffy snow. I find myself gazing out the window and being drawn into its beauty. Life is slower during a snowfall. Scheduled events become canceled. Afternoon naps are taken. Extra cups of tea held to warm chilled fingertips. And the snow falls. I sit here at my window in wonder. I have lost track of time. The cat is purring beside me dreaming away. I see the heavy clumps of snow fall plop to the ground. I cannot hear them, but I know the sound. I see a cardinal in an evergreen; bright flashes of red among the green and white. I cannot hear its song, but I know it. I notice the skeleton like branches of the trees of winter reaching into the grey sky, the breeze making them sway. I imagine the creaking sound they make as they stretch into the cold sky. I am captivated as I follow the snowflakes from their birth of swirl in the sky, dizzily falling and then disappearing into the white blanket on the ground.

I remind myself of a quote I read last week by Diane Ackerman, an author and poet who delights in the depths of nature: "Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time."

That is how I feel, like I hold a tiny speck of wonder as I sit at my window and time stops still. My soul is expanding with the beauty as I take in the last window pause of winter wonderland this season. It will be many months to come before I get to see or experience this white wonder again, in this way. My soul dances like a child. My heart embraces this moment and captures the beauty in the essence of it. My body relaxes and creates a memory to hold onto gently. As I smile at the wonder I feel the healing power that it creates as it flows through my body.

Stress leaves each muscle and fiber. My heartbeat slows as the snow falls. My breath is deep and full as I enjoy the splendor before me. My spirit connects with the transforming world that is out beyond the window and it communes with it in the moment. All is well in this wonder. And for this moment I celebrate the freedom it brings, the joy it creates and the gifts it offers.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade