The Slow Turn

Winter in Michigan feels endless- cold and grey. With little to no sunlight.

Please don’t suggest that I improve my attitude or reframe my expectations. Even people who love winter are tired of winter by now.

I find myself looking for the very earliest signs of change. The earliest signs that spring is coming. Not that spring is here, but that spring is approaching. When I first moved to west Michigan, I saw the early leaf buds and heard the geese returning.Over the years of living here, I now see earlier signs than I used to. I have learned to look closely and carefully.

In winter, for the most part, birds are quiet. It’s one of the enchanting aspects of winter- how quiet it is outside. Snow muffles sound and there are fewer sounds to hear. It’s a lovely, peaceful quiet.

Birds sing mainly to protect their territory and to attract mates. In the winter, I suspect they are mostly focused on survival. But last week, the flock of sparrows that came to my feeder was singing. Well, not exactly singing as sparrows are not the most melodious of birds. Their song is more cacophony than symphony. But I was glad to hear them.

A few other birds have also begun to sing, occasionally.

And the days are slowly getting longer. After the solstice we initially gain daylight in miniscule amounts. As the days pass, we get more daylight. But oh, it starts so slowly. A minute every day or so. One has to be looking for the increased light to recognize it.

It is a long, slow turn from winter to spring. It begins almost imperceptibly. With time, my senses have developed the ability to find earlier and earlier evidence of the turning of the seasons.

This post isn’t only about spring. Many things take time. Many things start slowly and then gather speed. If you are feeling that the world is grey and lacking in light, try to find the early signs of change. They may be small, but good and great things begin small. Look for the signs. When you can, be the small change. Offer words of encouragement. Get ready to plant seeds of all sorts- garden seeds and seeds of goodness and action. Do a kind act. Speak up, even if you appear to speak alone. You are not alone. Others are also looking for the signs of change.

The world is about to turn.

Canticle of the Turning
Author: Rory Cooney

1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

2. Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

3. From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev’ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

4. Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
‘Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.