My Windows are Open. My Windows Are Open!!!
Years ago, I emerged from my first Chicago winter after six years in Southern California. Having grown up in Chicago and living in NYC, winter was no stranger to me. I knew what I was getting into when I decided which seminary to attend. “But it’s cold in Chicago,” my LA friends said. My only thought was, “You can’t build a life around weather.” Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not like cold. I am also not a huge fan of precipitation. I do love so much of Chicago that I was willing to put up with cold and snow to be a part of it.
On that spring day when it felt safe to open the windows, I celebrated. Warmer temps were arriving! I love having windows open. To be inside and still connected to outside… Say what you will about the safety and comfort of buildings; they do tend to shut us off from the world around us.
Today, in my apartment in NW Connecticut, the windows are open. Fresh air blows through. It carries in the sounds of birds talking with their friends and bees dancing around. As I celebrate the bloom of spring and the promise of summer, I am reflecting on this openness. How will I hold on to some of it when the seasons change again? I want to remember that creation is beautiful all year long. That I am still connected to it when we switch the screens back to storm windows.
As I celebrate the bloom of spring and the promise of summer, I recognize that many folks have the opposite reaction. It’s getting too warm for you. It’s uncomfortable and triggers health issues. Closed windows with air conditioning is better.
Whatever your relationship with the weather, I hope you know you are a part of this beautiful creation. I hope you can feel that connection. Nurture it. Hold on to it.
Seasons come and go
In their own time
With no regard for human concerns
Why concern yourself with them?
They will change soon enough
Blessings,
Pastor Tijuana