Today, I woke up in a country that is led by people who understand that science is good and fascism is bad. What a wonderful morning!

[Image description: A double rainbow against a blue sky, over green field with trees at the back.]

The Snow Arrives After Long Silence
—Nancy Willard

The snow arrives after long silence
from its high home where nothing leaves
tracks or strains or keeps time.
The sky it fell from, pale as oatmeal,
bears up like sheep before shearing.

The cat at my window watches
amazed. So many feathers and no bird!
All day the snow sets its table
with clean linen, putting its house
in order. The hungry deer walk

on the risen loaves of snow.
You can follow the broken hearts
their hooves punch in its crust.
Night after night the big plows rumble
and bale it like dirty laundry

and haul it to the Hudson.
Now I scan the sky for snow,
and the cool cheek it offers me,
and its body, thinned into petals,
and the still caves where it sleeps.

I find it’s easy to fall into being so caught up in the rush of daily life that I miss opportunities for small devotions. I’ve been working on slowing down (no, really, I have—there’s nothing like a set of week-old abdominal incisions from surgery to make one discover the benefits of moving at a stately pace), which has allowed me to think about what I’m doing, and how a blessing or prayer might fit with the action, no matter how minor.

I’ve actually had time to read two entire books in the last ten days! Which led me to think about ways to take the opportunity for a blessing and gratitude.

Before starting to read, I recite:

Hail, Saga! Source of all stories, and keeper of histories!
As I read these words, help me to take the time to savor and imbibe them,
Giving them due consideration and contemplation,
That their meaning and their lessons are clear and useful.

This covers a wide range of topics, both fiction and non-fiction, and is usable for pretty much any book.

You could also invoke Bragi for fiction or drama; Odin for magic and myth; Loki for psychology, technology, and communications; or any other deity you feel is a match for the book. For example, my next volume is a book on grief and mourning, so I think Hel (as the Goddess of Death) and Sigyn (as the Mourning Mother) would be fitting choices. Reading a book on gardening, plant life, or similar? Idunna would be a good fit. A book on historical women in government? Frigg, as Allmother and Sovereign, is a clear choice.

You can alter the invocation as well—if you’re about to read a novel of comic misadventure, you could mention appreciating the entertainment and the release from care for the time you read reading.

When I’m done reading, I recite:

Thank you, Saga, for this story.
May the examples and lessons stay firm in my mind,
Guiding me as I journey through my life,
Helping me to live more fully and wholly,
As the characters’ experience informs my experience.

Again, you can customize the thanks to suit the book’s subject and the deity. You can start with these examples, and let your intuition and imagination run free!

[Image description: An open book sits between two glass candle jars. Stacks of books are arranged on the surface behind it.]

My People
—Langston Hughes

Dream-singers,
Story-tellers,
Dancers,
Loud laughers in the hands of Fate—
My People.
Dish-washers,
Elevator-boys,
Ladies’ maids,
Crap-shooters,
Cooks,
Waiters,
Jazzers,
Nurses of babies,
Loaders of ships,
Porters,
Hairdressers,
Comedians in vaudeville
And band-men in circuses—
Dream-singers all,
Story-tellers all.
Dancers—
God! What dancers!
Singers—
God! What singers!
Singers and dancers,
Dancers and laughers.
Laughers?
Yes, laughers….laughers…..laughers—
Loud-mouthed laughers in the hands of Fate.

Choreographer Alonzo King did an interview with George McCalman of the San Francisco Chronicle recently. Even if dance isn’t a particular interest for you, I recommend taking the time to read the interview. King is passionate about dance, about life, and about humanity, and his words apply to everyone, dancer or otherwise.

[Image description: A shaded line drawing of Alonzo King, wearing a hat, and adjusting his glasses. The caption reads, “Alonzo King, founder of Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Photo: George McCalman / Special to the Chronicle”.]

My favorite bits:

“The other reason I talk, bluntly, is because we have to realize that everyone who is serious about their life is some kind of artist. We’ve gotta get away from this “artist” and “ordinary person.” Even the term “ordinary person” is ridiculous.”

“What are human beings? We are brilliant, radiant, luminescent souls. We’re souls, and we’re playing roles. And so if you can see behind the role, and if you can see behind the appearance, that means it’s time to intuit and listen to vibration, and so that the listening has to become clearer.”

“The common mindset is that I will be happy when these requirements are met. It’s all nonsense. It’s about now. Regardless of circumstances, jump into joy now. Regardless of conditions, jump into your happiness now. Jump into the direction you want to go in now. Don’t play later; the later game doesn’t work.”

“I think there are things that you know, and with time you plumb them and know them better. .  . . With time and age and experience, I see where I could do more, where I could be better, where this can be more.”