A new beginning

We begin the new year, as always, fresh from the memory of Christmas, a very different celebration this year for most of us. The themes that were with me during this past Advent were letting go and being receptive to the manifestation of God’s presence in my life.

Acting safely and staying at home most of the time has made me aware in my prayer of what has been absent in my life over the past nine months–being with friends and family in both professional and personal settings, travel, enjoying the experience of city life, going shopping without the fear of catching the coronavirus, etc. But it hasn’t been a totally negative experience.

I’ve come to appreciate more deeply quiet time spent in prayer and reflection, sharing meals with my religious community, sharing experiences with others, even if at a distance and through a mask, long walks with my camera, and catching up with correspondence and reading.

My photography continues to manifest a reflective spirit. I’ve been drawn to the simplicity of winter scenes. Snow has a way of removing a lot of clutter from images and simplifying things. As we begin the new year, I hope that we all take the opportunity to enter into reflection on what’s important in life, to be open to the loving presence of God, to remove the clutter from our life, and to give thanks. May the coming year be full of blessings for us all.

“When a profound silence covered all things and night was in the middle of its course, your all-powerful word, O Lord, bounded from heaven’s royal throne.” (Wisdom 18:14-15)