Celebrating Winter

I read lately of three keys to enduring a long winter.  But first and foremost is the attitude shift from enduring to celebrating!  At least that’s what the PhD student who conducted a mental health study in Norway had to say. Mind you, she only spent one winter there… But the keys she found are ones we are implementing here as we gear up to enjoy winter.

#1 The Opportunity!

One key to enjoying winter is to celebrate the things one can only do in winter, for instance—skiing!

I was sad to see autumn losing ground to winter and the last of the bright leaves tumbling down to be buried in white.  But Jim was chomping at the bit to get out cross-country skiing.  This is new to us.  We bought some skis just as the snow wrapped up last year so didn’t get much of a start. But we took our skis along on our recent trip to Alberta and…found some snow.

I’m the chicken, who has great reservations about new and untried things.  Jim is so good for me.  We had a good time, and I didn’t even break anything!  Though I had a good chuckle at Jim’s videos of me shuffling along like a little old lady—when I in fact pictured myself g-l-i-d-i-n-g along quite proficiently.  NOT. 

Watch for the old lady…

 

#2 The Cozy ( :

Another thing to celebrate is the coziness of wintertime—candles, fuzzy blankets, fires and hot drinks. And of course, though the article made little mention of it, Christmas time! With its music and sparkle and the smell of gingerbread cooking…and special together times.  What would winter be without Christmas?

#3 The Beauty

And then there is the sheer beauty of the season.  Apparently, in the dead of winter in Norway there are hours of sunrise and sunset without the sun ever really appearing.  As for me, I prefer to see the sun.  Yesterday while the first major snow of the season was falling here the sun was shrouded in white.

 

But today the sun was radiant, pouring in at the window making all seem right in the world, despite my being a little under the weather with the sickness now nicely incubated from our recent trip to visit little people…

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. ... I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. ... I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. ... This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps.118:14,17,24

Snow Days—Sick Days—Birthdays…

It’s that time again---time for snow travel to celebrate birthdays and (unexpectedly) to endure sick days.  We haven’t caught the bug yet but we’ve had plenty of opportunity.

Got Winter?

If you haven’t  any winter of your own yet, please enjoy our latest Alberta bits---

 

(Animal Crossing)

 

 

……and here are the Alberta ‘babies’….

They just keep having birthdays to share…

--LS

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. Ps.127:3

Hello Winter.

It’s not much,but it’s a beginning. In the quiet wee hours before we were up a dusting of snow fell.

 

A light rain was already sloughing it away as I slipped on my new UGG-wanna-be’s and snuck out to snap some pictures.

Is isn’t much but there’s sure to be more to come.

The seasons of our years and our lives continue…

--LS

For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. ...Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter. Ps.74:12,17 

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Gen.8:22

The Dancing Days…

Just outside my window, reaching an arm to frame my view, stands a young oak tree.  He has taken the place of the grand willow  left behind in Powell River.

Instead of willow boughs swinging sinuously in the breeze, now curled brown leaves fall translucent with autumn sun.

Only they don’t just ’fall’. They dance their way to the ground swooping and twirling—one last fling before winter.  In so doing they catch my eye and are a great distraction from sitting at my computer trying to string words together…

So I succumbed to their charm and composed a haiku to celebrate.

Curled leaves sashay down

Glowing gold though life is spent

Transfigured in death.

And since one verse couldn’t quite capture their grace, I wrote another:

Riding morning breeze

Oak leaves swirl dancing carefree

I watch in envy

And another.

Flurry of oak leaves

Fly wild outside my window

How can I sit still?

But when I did go out  in hopes of capturing their  image in flight I was surprised and sidetracked by a ‘rafter’ of turkeys [yes, that’s the technical word for a group of them; and now we’ve both learned something new!] happening by…

(They’re definitely not as good looking as eating— American Thanksgiving here we come!)

Alas, the leaves are mostly fallen now,

And blown away besides--thanks to the cyclonic winds of our new leaf blower that has no sense of the beauty of fallen leaves, only of tidy walkways…

The rains have returned after an exceptionally dry summer

And some subtle first snow flakes fell scarcely seen first thing this morning…

The dancing days are done.  It’s time…

to stow away gathered seeds,

   and fallen treasures…

 

 

Well, almost time. Maybe I can wait a little longer…

till the turkeys have stopped meandering about and have been eaten,

till the trees have all put away their fall color…

and till I’ve dug out some candles to brighten a darkening world in their stead.

--LS 

For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.  ^Ps.18:28

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn.8:12

While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night,
shall not cease.

Gen.8:22