Turning

Saturday in the First Week of Lent

Restore us, O God of hosts;

show the light of your countenance, 

and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80:3

The softness of night cradles me as I gently wake. I lie quiet and listen. Wind. Crackling of baseboard heat. Windchimes. A passing car. Familiar creaks of the house. Highway traffic in the distance. And soon the birds. Caws of crows and riotous song of sparrows.

I see light through the window, the beginning of dawn and streetlights, one strengthening while the other wanes. Taking turns.

The seasons in my own life take turns as well. My current yearning in the wilderness nudged aside the bright reflection of the turning of the year. And eventually, it will yield to the fullness of spring and new life.

But not yet. Turning takes the time it takes. And in the meantime, I will bend my ears toward the sounds of restoration. I will keep watch for what will unfold.