This winter I decided not to renew my contract with our snow-removal man. Although he had done an admirable job for several years, I felt our money could be better spent in other ways.

So now, each time the snow falls, I head outside with my trusty shovel and begin pushing the white stuff off the drive. It usually takes about a half hour or so of steady shoveling by me to get done what he did in a few minutes with his pickup truck.

Such an endeavor may appear foolish to some but I have found it to be a wonderful way of enriching my spiritual life. I actually look forward to those times of quiet and repetitive action that allow me the opportunity for inner reflection and much needed prayer.

With each passing sweep, I can actually marvel at the beauty of creation and the gift from God that snow symbolizes.

One of my spiritual guides, Thich Nhat Hahn, suggests that everything we do holds the potential for spiritual growth...waking up, washing our hands, eating our food. One of his more memorable suggestions has me washing the dishes as if I am washing the baby Buddha! Although I haven't yet been able to convince our kids of this pleasure, Thich's image allows me to enjoy even the most arduous of tasks and understand them in a new way. It is that very sense of mindfulness that has me shoveling the snow out front.

It was the architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who said that God could be found in the details. This truth is played out for me each time I systematically push that old shovel up and down the driveway. I find myself entering into another realm of existence, away from the stresses and strains that so often shape my life and toward and calming sense of peace and well-being.

I am well aware of how strange this may sound to the uninitiated but before you send for the paddy wagon, give it a try and see if you don't also have a similar divine experience. You may even find yourself, as I do, seeking out other avenues for spiritual growth. Vacuuming the carpet and dusting the shelves are two that come readily to mind. Even if you don't enter into any spiritual bliss by participating in such actions, I guarantee your spouse or roommate is going to appreciate your religious awakening!

St. Paul urges us to pray without ceasing. Such an invitation may seem impossible to accept until we begin to see the opportunities for encountering God that are all around us.

I suspect that this idea will not be entirely welcomed by snow-removal firms or cleaning businesses. After all, if everyone began praying in the manner I am advocating it could create economic chaos and the loss of millions of jobs. The entire service industry could be threatened.

Based on my own experience and several thousand years of recorded history, I wouldn't worry.