It has gotten cold. Really cold. Looking out the window in the morning, everything is covered in white frost. In our church, which cannot be heated, you can slowly start seeing your breath. And there’s such a cold draft from one side that I’ve developed a stiff neck. I’m already looking forward to the first Sunday of Advent when we’ll move our choir prayer into the warmth.
And I’m looking forward to the first snow. I know it will be tinged with a bit of melancholy, but it will be beautiful nonetheless. It reminds me that the room where our choir habits and cloaks are kept is called the "Snowflake Chamber." As a novice, I am dressed completely in white, like a snowflake. Or, considering my stature, perhaps more like a polar bear. Fascinating animals too, with thick fur, spending most of their time alone.
I especially love my time in solitude. It's something wonderful that monastic life offers so much time to oneself. Time to come to rest, to read, to reflect, and, most importantly, to pray. To be with God and feel His presence. To surrender myself to Him and receive everything from Him. Grace in abundance. Joy from the depths. Strength for all challenges. It is the silence and solitude that bring freedom and openness, clarity of vision, and help me find myself. And find God, within me.
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