Cheerful
Beams
“O
Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark
corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there your cheerful
beams.”
St.
Augustine of Hippo
On
this first day of March, most of us in the northern hemisphere are
ready for some of those cheerful beams to shine. Winter is a strange
time of year here in the deep south. One day the temperature is fifty
and sunny, the next it's thirty and dreary. Hard to know how to
dress. But this year, we've had many more dreary gray days than warm
ones. The jonquils are up and blooming in temperatures so cold and
skies so gray, they look dull, faded. And rain—more rain—rain
upon rain—is on the way. At least it's not snow. Come on spring!
St.
Augustine's prayer is a good one for today. When we are in the
darkness of winter, we need spirit's light to shine into and before
us to lead the way. It's easy to get just as dreary as the weather.
Not
everyone feels this way about winter. There's a man named Ron at the
Bama Flea Mall who is still in shorts and a t-shirt. Monday, when I
was in straightening my booth, it was blowing sleety rain, cold as
could be, and there he was, dressed for the beach. I asked, “Aren't
you freezing?” and he said “No, I'm burning up!” He must be
from the North Pole. In fact, he does look a little Santa-ish even in
his Bermudas.
My
friend, Andy, who grew up in Chicago, scoffs at me when I have on
four layers of clothes and a coat and hat and still complain of the
cold. He runs around in shirt sleeves and considers those of us whose
blood runs way south of the Mason-Dixon to be frost-pansies. “Can't
take the cold!” he says. Of course, he is a macho-you-know-what;
one who would rather freeze than admit he's cold. See how dreary I
am?
I've
rambled. I hope that wherever you are today, you find a little patch
of sunshine, and a cup of hot tea and keep yourself warm. You might
ask St. Augustine to send Holy Spirit's cheerful beams to enlighten
the dark corners of your dwelling. That's what Saints are for, isn't
it? While you're at it, ask for a little warm weather, too.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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