Seasons of the Soul: Winter
It’s late in the winter season. We’ve weathered storms of mighty strength, and yet there is a stillness. The powerful winds of change are stirring. Nature is ready but waiting. Everything seems frozen and dead, but life is ever-so-gently unfolding in their secret places.
Our sanctuary
We too have secret places: sanctuaries, if you will, that rest in our minds. We turn inward and reflect. We take the time to dream of what our future may hold while we sit quietly in the stillness. We snuggle in physically, but we also settle in mentally.
Days of innocence
When I was a child, I loved winter. Sledding, ice skating, snowball fights, and snowman making. It was a time of wishing for snow days from school. I’d struggle to remove my snow-crusted boots, caked mittens, and hat. I didn’t have a care in the world, except for the mean lady that lived at the bottom of our sledding hill. I never considered what it was like as an adult. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Now I see
Winter is beautiful with snow-covered hills and pine boughs weighed down with ice thick on the branches. I marvel at wildlife’s footprints and take in the scent of wood-burning chimneys. I enjoy the full moon as its reflection shines across the snow-covered tapestry of white. I cozy up near the fireplace and seek its warmth. My slippers take on the chill, and I sit quietly, dreaming of spring once again.
Like with anything…isn’t it the contrast that makes all the difference? It’s the catalyst that allows us to see the beauty in everything.
Yes, winter can be cumbersome. Our bodies might ache, and our fingers and toes may feel the pain of the cold. The weight of snow upon our shovels hurts our backs, but it also stretches us and strengthens us. It prepares us for tremendous growth. You see, it is within that spiritual darkness of winter that we are able to awaken to spring, for without winter, we wouldn’t be able to bloom and sprout with bursting potential: a potential that stirs our minds and our souls for greater things to come.
So, I ask you to embrace the winter. Allow it to penetrate your tired body and renew you from within. Rest in the knowledge that everything sleeps, if only for a little while, because it is in the resting that we awaken to a new day: a day that will spring forth with an amazing hope.
Hugs,