blizzards are still beautiful

There is a big snow coming in Midwest America. It is February 1. Prior to December 25 we are trained and encouraged to think of the joys of winter; winter wear and being snowbound are pleasures to be sung about not things to lament over. The white stuff falling puts a twinkle in our eye and gets us thinking of sleigh bells and baking cookies. Once December 25 has passed we lose our zeal for snow and winter but winter has only just begun.

Today we take winter back from commercial Christmas. If you are suffering from a case of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) I encourage you to look anew for the beauties of winter. Ponder the way the freshly fallen snow collects on bare tree branches, marvel at the blanket of white as far as the eye can see, search out the snow prints of rabbits and puppies, look at a well built snowman and if there are none available build one yourself, make a snow angel and grab a cup of coco. Listen to the sounds of winter, don't rush it by; it has so much to tell us. Beneath the freezing cold there is the whisper of the coming spring...

 "You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen." A Movable Feast, Ernest Hemingway