It’s gray and rainy and cold. The sun rises later and sets earlier. Nature calls us to move slowly, to rest, to settle in. The world, on the other hand, calls us to participate, to celebrate, and to produce. Now, between preparing for holidays and keeping up with email, now, for just a moment, stop. Breathe. Let stillness surround you. Connect with the land, with the sky, turn inward. Let your breathing and your awareness of the natural world fill the stillness.

As you go about this holiday week, hold this stillness within you. Carry it where you go. Let the peace of it be a calm, still place in your heart. Give thanks.