Rev. Dr. Kate Winters, “Dwelling in Presence,” November 10, 2023
My partner, Joel, has not had good hearing ever since I’ve known him. It is a great sadness for the one who loves to hear the birds but usually can’t, and loves to sing with a group but isn’t always sure what the piano is doing. But sometimes, I admit, there is some humor in it. He usually does his computer work downstairs in our raised ranch while I putter around upstairs. At least once a day, I will call down “I love you down there!” This morning his response was “Okay!” “Okay?” No ones tells their beloved they love them wanting to hear just “Okay.” But I have to admit, the answer amused me, so I decide to try it on him sometime. When someone tells me that we seem so good together, I tell them that we make each other laugh every day. Laughter is an essential mark of a strong marriage!
Joel always brings a little levity to my November melancholy. Another bit of light yesterday was the tiny flurry of snow we had. Not enough to cover the ground but enough to be a promise of things to come. As a child, I used to pray for snow days. As an adult, I treasure the days of wood burning in the stove, wind singing outside, the snow dancing every which way as something good is cooking on the stove. If the lights go out, candles are lit and the wood stove can keep the pot warm and the coffee hot. If all else fails, we have a good excuse to pile on the blankets and go to bed early. Knowing how fortunate I am to have all of this available to me makes winter an opportunity for deep gratitude.
This morning I am grateful for something else entirely. When I last posted, I was getting ready to deal with the boxes of books piled up in my crowded room. In the last few days, I have found this process to be excruciating. I felt like a failure as too many went back up on my new shelves. The novels are easiest to let go, but only about one percent are novels. Poetry is probably the easiest to gift someone, but only about two percent are poetry. And even then, I have to go through the book to find the poem I know I just can’t dispose of! When I get to history and theology, I always find a chapter I definitely want to read again. The books on liturgy make me wonder if I am truly finished with teaching this favorite subject. And then the titles concerning Spiritual Formation just make we want to keep them close to my heart! Help!
Well, help did come in the form of an idea. I went out and bought some see-through plastic containers to box things up in by subject. Since I had no idea what I was going to put in the large cabinets Joel built alongside my windowseat, I can place those in there. These will allow me to go through the piles faster because I don’t have to agonize over each tome and will allow friends to visit and easily see what is available in case they would like to take any. Yes, I know this does put the final sorting on hold, but it will ready my hermitage with less trauma. Besides I really don’t know what the future holds for me vocationally. I don’t want to regret the total purge of my books.
So, I plan to start the process again today. The first book to go into a container is entitled Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser by Lewish Richmond. Although to be honest, I think the secret to this subject is not in a book. It is to be present in every passing moment and to embrace what each day teaches. This is a spiritual practice for a lifetime.
Dwelling in Presence 