[Seasons: Winter XVI]
Winter is minimalist, or at least it demands minimalism.
It takes the leaves away. It steals the sun. It refuses to allow for the the quick and easy activity changes of a warmer seasons. More preparation is required for the same amount of work, which usually means less work, more efficient planning, and a simplification of life.
With less “stuff” and fewer “things”, winter is a season of exposure (i.e. less concealment). By removing what’s unnecessary, winter shows us what is. The leaves fall off the trees and we can see the forest floor clearly. We can also see the neighbors, the old piece of metal siding discarded in the woods three summers ago, and that old birch tree that’s finally given up and ready to rest horizontally.
The ground is visible in winter; the Ground of Being is more visible too. Paul Tillich famously referred to God as the Ground of Being, that which is beneath and supportive of and imperative for all things. the minimalism of winter helps us see—and, I think, encounter—the Ground beneath all things.
