The long nights and short days of the early winter season have been unusually warm and with little snow, causing concerned people—mainly Moms—to worry about the future in a world of global warming while others—mainly men—have expressed appreciation for the unnaturally warm temperatures. As the days lengthened, it seemed that there would be hardly any snow for the children to sled and make snowmen in, threatening not only the winter play of the young but the crops of local harvesters of Maple syrup and orchard owners who rely on the steady winter weather to slowly wake their trees from their dormant sleep.

Midwinter came with little change in the warm weather and we had our midwinter meal, opening a Robust Porter bottled only a few weeks before. Having been busy with other things, we didn’t give the porter enough time in the bottle and it was a little harsh at first. A week later, the porter has mellowed and is better with the extra time.

Scurrying for time, we also brewed a Honey Golden on Candlemas, planning to open the ale in the longer, warmer days of May. We hardly had time for the brewing, with our lives full of activities, including caring for the young toddlers who fill our days with joy. With another young life soon to come into our family, my wife has been working steadily on a beautiful quilt with pastels of blue and pearl and pictures of furry, young animals of the woods.

My wife wished deeply for snow, to allow the young toddlers a chance to play and to enjoy the beauty of winter. Soon after midwinter, her wish manifested, with a steady, slow falling of snow that coated the ground and trees in a blanket several inches thick. We walked in the beauty of the day, being sure to feed the birds that rely on our feeder for a steady supply of winter seeds.

Babysitting for two young toddlers, my wife told me that the one and a half year old was fascinated by the sight of the birds at the feeder, watching them with amazement and awe as they flew about. The young lives, if taught that the Earth contains sacred life that works in harmonious balance with itself, will have their natural love of life extend to the Earth on which humanity depends. If taught, on the other hand, that humanity has been given dominion over the Earth and may do to the natural communities whatever we seek, the suicidal hubris of patriarchy to enslave the Earth—who holds our destiny in its hands—will continue to its inevitable, karmic end.

This concept of patriarchal culture—that the urban, human god of power-over-others holds the fate of the Earth which surrounds it—seems to me deeply rooted in our daily thinking. Scientific thinkers, scoffing at the superstitious thinking of puritans, will still look at a small, wooded area and consider it to something to be destroyed and built upon, rather than a place of joy and beauty where sustainable natural communities can thrive. The urban, human god rewards those who gain money, power-over-others and prestige, none of which can be provided by natural communities that humanity depends upon. Scientific thinkers, for all the claims of objectivity, are oftentimes the servants of money-chasers and violent men who perpetuate the ways of the urban god.

In the face of patriarchy-as-normal, filled with ignorance and rewards of wealth and power-over-others for betrayal of the essential principles of life, having faith can seem as foolish. Acting on faith, by taking risks and pushing the limits of what seems possible and safe, seems akin to devoting ourselves to making snowmen who will melt rapidly in the warming air. If the urban god of power-over holds sway over the Earth and all life on it, how do we dare defy it by acting on our faith in good works?

I cannot claim the virtues of those who have acted successfully on their faith, risking livelihood for the chance to make the human world a better place. However, during the midwinter, after months of discussion with my wife, I resolved to seek a career doing good works, which, naturally, will pay less than my trivial work as a computer analyst. Rushing about to make the change, I went headlong into the uncertainty of commitments to leave my job sooner than later, so that I could take advantage of possibilities.

Time will tell if the efforts will result in a successful transition to a better career. Acting on faith, however, has help calm my inner self and relieve my conscience from an often-repeated refrain that while others suffer, I live in material abundance while contributing little to the essential tasks of life. It is these essential tasks—caring for children, being part of a community that supports parents and others in that work, working for harmony between human communities, and moving toward sustainability with the natural communities that will determine the fate of humanity—that are the center of the river of Earthly life flowing into eternity. My own actions, to try to increase my contribution to the essential good works of life, might seem senseless and foolhardy to those following the urban god of money and power-over. In my heart, however, I know this choice is long overdue.

In the quiet time after I made commitments to pursue this path, when the rushing about of changing directions was finished, I took time to make a wintertime favorite of my dear, late mother-in-law. With the snow of mid-winter finally falling, I gathered sunchoke, onions and potatoes from winter storage in our basement, combined them with cream and vegetable stock to make a thick puree that would warm our bones in the delightfully cold winter weather. Serving it with a salad including local lettuces and Arugula grown in a high tunnel greenhouse, sweet onions stored from the summer, and local Feta Cheese and with our robust porter, my wife and enjoyed the warmth of our home in midwinter.

Soon after we made the soup, the parents of the toddler in our family called and said that the Mom was sick with flu, the baby was sick again and the father was taking time off work to care for them. Knowing they felt overburdened and exhausted, we dropped off soup, salad and a few other items to lighten their load. The next day, the Mom and baby were feeling better and we babysat the young one while the Mom rested and the father worked. In these small ways, the essential good works of life makes our lives meaningful. Considering the strength of love I experience in our home life, having the courage to pursue a career of good works does not seem foolish; rather, it seems the path that life teaches me to follow.