Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with firm conviction that thy will governs all.

Last week it snowed, and snowed a lot. The morning after the storm, over a foot of heavy snow sat on my car and the driveway, and it had to be moved. Whether I wanted to or not, I had to shovel out. The snow brought a choice: enjoy my time with the shovel or spend a miserable couple of hours cursing my fate. The snow sparkled on the lawn, and the snow blocked my path. Birds and squirrels played in the back yard and my mittens got wet. My husband couldn’t help me out the first half hour, and he finished the last half hour without my help. Two possible attitudes diverged in a pile of white, and I took the one that led to gratitude that day.

Peace of soul is like a language. It gives me new ways to speak about life and new eyes to see the world. A firm conviction that God’s will governs all isn’t a naive belief that everything is fun, good, or easy; it’s the choice to accept what is offered this day and to seek God’s presence through it. Nothing in this world can take away the peace God wills for me, but I have to learn not to throw it away.