January

I’ve enjoyed this week’s comments. If you were my neighbors we could gather ‘round for a walk and a cup of hot chocolate by the hearth!

I did go for a walk Sunday afternoon. I bundled up with snow pants and a down coat. I pulled my hat down to my eyelashes, and my neck scarf up over my face to protect from the wind. I was comfortably warm. I headed down the lane past the pine trees and then up the hill on the road that runs by the farm. The only sound I heard was the wind until I came to the valley where the grasses grow tall. There I heard the call of a crow—and noticed that a few of them and a flock of sparrows were battling away as they always do, swooping and defending.

I turned to walk back towards home. Heading out, the wind was at my back; coming home, it was in my face. I pulled the scarf and hat close together so that there was only a slit left between. I pushed my mittened hands into my pockets for a little more protection from the wind and made my way back up the hill. The sun was already in the western sky, and the snow covered ground looked icy and stark, a time of rest for the land.

I love this time of year. When the land lies cold and quiet, my soul is set free to ponder life and reevaluate directions taken. It is as my poem says, “A snow-covered world is a balm that penetrates bone and marrow, soul and spirit.” I think I’ll take the liberty to print that again, today. Blessings!

Shades of White

The stillness of a landscape draped in the silence of an early morning snow...
The sky and earth blend in shades of white
Bringing all that I can see from my window into uniform serenity.

A snow-covered world is a balm that penetrates bone and marrow, soul and spirit.
My soul is set free in quiet song. It brings to us a time of rest.

Lay down the great burden of hurried life and step lightly onto the stage.
The room is silent, empty.
Laugh and cry; dance. Unveil the depths within.

It is time to be set free.

Jean in Wisconsin

The road by my house