Finding Treasure in the Snow
It was a mess around the church because the snow
melting had revealed all the trash that had been buried by successive storms
and flurries. It was both horribly ugly
and delightfully surprising at the same time, and my playful imagination went
to work. I knew there was a metaphor
buried in this fact and I was determined to dig it out!
One of the things I realized is that my week is
like that pile of snow with things buried in it. I go through the week accumulating moments of
joy, pain, excitement, wonder, discovery, the list goes on. But during the week the daily occupations and
obligations of my week are like the snow covering it all up. The important thing is, it is all still
buried there.
It dawned on me that prayer and meditation is
the time to let the snow of our busy-ness melt and to sort through the objects
buried in it. Unlike the mess around the
church, in the snow of our week there are also treasures as well as trash. The day my temper was short because I had a
bad encounter with my friend, trash. The
glimpse of the Palisades that overwhelmed with joy for a few seconds as I
turned on Lamartine Avenue, treasure, the tear I shed as a television program
reminded me of a beautiful and yet unrequited love in my teen years, both
treasure and trash at the same time.
In our meditation the richness of our lives is
freed from the busy-ness and we are able to say thank you to the Divine, or
Sorry, or sometimes both as is needed.
We can connect to the deeper significance of the events that are around
us. The trash we throw away, the
treasures we find ways to give to others in a way that will help them and
increase our connection.
My hope is that each week, our worship, our reflections,
our rituals with their strange rhythms and frequent repetitions might be one
resource in remembering and celebrating our life. We do not want it to remain buried in the
snow forever. ~Father John
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