The Gift of Fleeting Beauty

I am coming to appreciate more and more the power of every moment as a Teacher. As I gaze through my window this morning, the snow is falling at a rapid pace. It is too warm here for the snow to “stick” to the ground, so I watch, awed by the fleeting nature of the snow.

Today, I receive the snow as a teacher. Not just the phenomenon of snow, though that is itself beautiful. I recognize that each snowflake has what appears to be a very brief moment to manifest before melting away. Yet, is that snowflake truly gone, or is it merely being received back into the water cycle from which it never truly departed, even in its snowflake form?

Each passing snowflake reflects its nature and offers its snowflakeness to me as a gift. It asks nothing of me. As I turn my gaze to the computer screen to reflect on the snowflakes, more pass my window unseen by me. The fact that I don’t see each snowflake does not diminish its gift, a gift that remains unobserved by me.

I wonder if part of the teaching these friendly snowflakes are imparting to me is to give my own being entirely to the present moment, being nothing other than the self I am manifesting. Certainly, I can invest myself in trying to be something I imagine to be “more” than I currently perceive myself to be. Yet, the glory and gift of being myself lie in the unrepeatable nature of this self. I ponder how much time in my life I have wasted trying to be what others might wish me to be. Even that time is not wasted, as it has taught me who I am not and how much energy it takes to be other than myself.

This morning, I read a beautiful passage from the Christian Bible: “And I pray that God, out of the riches of divine glory, will strengthen you inwardly with power through the working of the Spirit. May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, will be able to grasp the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love.” (Letter to Ephesus, Paul, chapter 3, verses 16-18)

The words that resonate in my heart are “rooted and grounded in love.” In this moment, I am gifted with the opportunity to embody love. Love is the root of my being and the being of all, including the lovely snowflakes still dancing outside my window. Love is the foundation that anchors me amidst the winds of life. It is the deepest essence of me and, by extension, of you. All of us are rooted and grounded in Love, whatever name we may give to that Love.

Thank you, Snowflake, for being the Teacher, despite the fleeting nature of your manifestation and beauty, for reminding me of this Truth this morning.