Renewal

I looked out a west window and spied the moon's beautiful face shining into dissipating darkness. I looked to the east and saw the sun's face, too. It rose into the morning with a pink-rose blush that transformed into orange, gold, and then pure white light. Ahhh, magic.

It's mostly clear today ... and cold. The snow stands in a narrow six inch mound all along the railing on the deck. Thick folds of snow rest on piney branches and in the crooks of naked trees. I snuggle into the warmth of my heated house as I look out onto the stark, cold, pure white scenery just beyond the glass.

Today, as always, I enjoyed practicing TCC while the sun cleared the horizon. In the early dawn I felt hopeful, encouraged; my soul responded eagerly to the sunlight's suggestion, "New beginnings...."

When I read today's entry in 365 Tao, it perfectly portrayed my feelings about the start of this day: Renewal (p. 23):

... no matter how much those who follow Tao may enjoy the city, they understand the need for retreat into nature.

     In the countryside, they find the nurturing quality of freedom. They can see new possibilities and can wander without societal impositions....

     We need time to lie fallow. If you cannot leave the city, just find a little quiet time each day to withdraw into yourself. If you are able to walk in fields or in the hills, so much the better. But none of us can maintain the fertility of our beings without renewal.

This is one of the many gifts I experience here under the forest canopy. And tonight I head to Stagenorth for our first rehearsal of Love Stories of the Bay. I'll read my piece, "For the Love of ... Silence." And, yes, it's all about renewal.