"I arise today through the strength of heaven, Light of sun, Radiance of moon, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of wind, Depth of sea, Stability of earth, Firmness of Rock. I arise today with God’s power to pilot me." St. Patrick

I arise today….and it’s cold! We are about to enter a stretch of very cold days. I have to admit I do love the prospect of it. There is something about knowing that it will be subzero that brings out my survivor instinct. It also, in some odd way, brings out my creative sensibilities. Perhaps it is the prospect of gathering around a warm fire or steaming cups of coffee, or the idea that one can "hole up" inside with justification. In any event, the cold temperatures awaken my desire to create…to knit a scarf, to bake a pie, to write a poem or story, to make a pot of soup, to curl up with a really good novel and lose myself in the gift of another person’s  imagination.

There is also the way in which, when properly dressed, you can walk outside and hear the snow actually crunch, sound carries differently when it is this cold. Colors take on new intensities,too. Did you see the sky last night at sunset? Vivid pink,red, orange and the sky was so blue. What a gift to behold!

I often say that humanity’s real purpose on earth is to give voice to the the beauty, the tragedy, the goodness, the awe that is God’s gift to us in Creation. We are the ones….the ones with language, with the ability to reflect, to speak or write our prayers, our poems, our gratitude for being alive. We are, in truth, here on earth to be Psalmists. While we know that all livings things have experiences of the world, we are the ones who write and tell the stories, who give thanks, who sing the songs and dance the dances. We do it first because we need to honor our relationship with our Creator. We do it secondly for ourselves because we must respond to the Holy’s movement in our lives. Thirdly, we do it so we will remember and our children and grandchildren will remember. This is our work.

So today, how will you do this work? How will you be a Psalmist? How will you tell of God’s movement in your life? The story is yours to tell…..so bundle up, stay warm, and let the Creative Spirit be your companion.