Good morning, friends! Happy Monday.
Over the weekend, I helped host a writing workshop/retreat for some local friends. At one point, my co-host Lauren shared Mary Oliver’s poem, “I Happened to be Standing.” As I journaled in response to this poem, I found myself thinking about the handful of times I have wiped out on snow and ice.
Once, stepping out into a Buy Buy Baby parking lot in Grand Rapids, the transition from salted concrete to slick asphalt catching me off-guard. Another time, on Massachusetts Avenue here in Indianapolis, slipping on a patch of ice where melted ice dripping off the roof made a puddle, now re-frozen.
I’m sure there are other instances.
This time of year, I am often unsteady on my feet.1 Those falls have never left me with any serious injury, but they were enough that I keep my eyes focused on the ground ahead when I step outside in winter.
Today, there is no ice or snow. Instead, we’ve had several days of almost constant rain, and the ground isn’t slick, but squishy. Our yard seems mostly mud at this point—a terrain with its own hazards.
Prior to 2020, I trusted systems to generally hold, but the past few years have messed with that confidence. Last week, even within my own family, there was shocking news and sudden losses, and if the world seems to vacillate between feeling swampy and slippery. I guess it’s good to be reminded of what is actually solid: Christ’s presence in and among us, God’s ongoing work in the world, those key relationships I trust.
A benediction for Monday, January 29, 2024:
May we not allow slick or slippery ground to stop us moving forward. May we not be afraid of questions or winding paths, trusting the grip on our shoes and the Spirit who guides us. May we remember that despite appearances, the ground beneath the surface will hold. May we keep going.
Until next time,
Lindsey
Ok, let’s be honest here. I am not a particularly coordinated person. I am likely to fall anytime, anywhere—but winter is the worst, for sure.