HEALING FOG

Rev. Dr. Kate Winters, June 26, 2023

As I settled into my writing space this morning, the fog was deepening outside. Creeping up from the bay about a mile down the steep hill to the harbor, it makes its climb gently and surrounds me with blessing. Fog is the meteorological condition that brings me most easily and deeply into silence. It’s like being surrounded by the knitted shawl your mother made, soft and calming.

I know it can be different for those out on the water who may lose visibility and direction, but even the sound of the fog bell on the buoy off land is like a call to prayer. A reminder that we are never alone in the mist.

Admittedly, a younger me was not so thrilled with fog. It made my hair frizzy in about thirty seconds. Now that frizz is simply a sign of being touched by the soft movements of the Creator. The humidity of a cool fog is sweet on an early summer morning. I will have a halo of frizz for the rest of the day.

As I sit here with my legs straight out on the sofa, I happen to notice that my body has been doing some good work . The inch and a half wound that was to the right and under my left knee has just about healed. The unsightly initial cut has become a soft pink scar, nearly invisible. This is where one of my veins was removed to create a bypass vessel for my heart. The other was a mammary vein that the surgeon told me was “God’s gift to cardiologists” because it worked so well to provide two of the other veins needed. I liked it that he described it this way, it was an acknowledgement that not everything was up to him. The body provides what we need to heal and thrive. Yes, the medical intervention is nearly miraculous, but the body itself is always the first miracle.

And now, I am surrounded by an even thicker shroud of fog. I think I will step out on the back deck and breathe it in. Treat this body to some heavenly-sent moisture. The healing of body and soul continues…