The Beauty of a winter sky

Looking out the window from the reception desk, I was touched by the simple, quiet beauty of the winter sky outside.  Tonight is a very cold, clear night here in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Psalm 147, which refers to snow and hoarfrost, reminds us to “praise the Lord.”  I love this psalm, which we pray Friday mornings in the fourth week of the Liturgy of the Hours.

For some reason, this psalm is one of those scripture that always stirs my heart in a special way.  (I guess the fact that it’s the inspired Word of God might have something to do with it.)

The fact, too, that it speaks of snow and hoarfrost also has a particular resonance to a Minnesotan living in North Dakota.

Even though cold nights like this can be a source of complaints, why not try to be open to their beauty?  A glance outside, for me this evening, was a call to praise the Lord who is the source of the goodness and beauty that surrounds us every day, He who “strengthens the bars of [our] gates” and has blessed us.