Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Rhythm of Life

Seeking Sanctuary

When the weight of the world became unbearable, my grandmother would take me for a walk: “Time to let the earth carry you in her strong lap. Time to let the sky cover you with her soft wings.”

This month, I have been walking a lot, taking one step at a time. On these cold mornings, my grandmother’s warmth has felt so present that I have instinctively reached out for her hand.

One weekend, as I drifted among the mangroves of Old Tampa Bay, I glimpsed the dawn through the feathery limbs of a fig tree strewn with Spanish moss. Winter light beamed into the heart of the tree, revealing a nest of stones cradled in the branches.

I imagined that weary wanderers before me had laid down their burdens in the tree’s open embrace. In this sanctuary, the unbearable could be born.

“Even in darkest winter,” my grandmother seemed to whisper, “new life is with us, quietly forming under the frozen surface. Terror, outrage, trauma, and despair will not hold sway forever. In spring, as though for the first time, these stones will once again be rolled away like outgrown egg shells. From deep inside, trust, love, joy, and hope will fly, free.” 

Homesickness overwhelmed me. As if to comfort me, the tree’s roots spread before me like the skirt of my grandmother’s Easter dress, inviting me onto her lap. I sat down and rested my head on her heart. As I cried, Spanish moss tenderly stroked my hair.

I interlaced my fingers with the bony roots, clinging to my grandmother’s hand. Even in the cold, I could feel her warmth. Together, we watched the sun rise.

Creative Contemplation

Holding It Together

• Choose a bowl or another vessel to serve as a nest.

• Alternatively, a beloved tree near you might volunteer to serve as a sanctuary.

• From the soles of your feet, receive the earth’s support through your entire body.

• From the crown of your head, receive the sky’s support through your entire body.

• Inhaling, deepen your connection with the greater whole.

• Exhaling, expand your connection with the greater whole.

• As you breathe, feel your heartbeat in your chest.

• Let your heart guide you: What is too much for me to carry alone?

• Symbolize this burden in some way: for example, you might write it on a piece of paper, then crumple the paper into a ball; you might choose a seashell or another treasure to evoke it; or you might paint a stone to express it.

• Once you have created your symbol, hold it with both hands.

• Inhaling, sense into the weight of this burden.

• Exhaling, lay this burden down by placing your symbol in your nest.

• Welcome a feeling of being held by the greater whole.

• Check in with your nest from time to time, perhaps writing a journal reflection in response to the following questions:

  • When I keep company with this burden now, what does my body experience (e.g., sensations, emotions, energy)?

  • Since my last check-in, what has shifted in me, if anything?

  • What has surprised me, if anything?

  • What relationships can support me now?

  • What other resources can strengthen me now?

• When you sense that your burden has been transformed into a gift, you can receive it anew from your nest.

• In gratitude, you can share this blessing with the greater whole.

Journal Reflection

Wondering

• When have I experienced wonder? (When I pause and bring gentle care to my inner life, what experience of wonder comes into my awareness?)

• What happened during this experience of wonder?

• How did I feel during this experience of wonder?

• How was Mystery present in this experience of wonder?

• What do I wonder now?