It seems to me that Winter has been given a smear by the general public. I can't give you real proof of that idea; it just seems that way to me. In the poems and songs, usually Spring and Summer are extolled.
"The flowers that bloom in the spring--tra-la!
Bring promise of merry sunshine!
As we merrily dance and we sing--tra-la!
We welcome the hope that they bring--tra-la!
Of a summer of roses and wine,
Oh, a summer of roses of wine..."
(I did NOT make that up, in case you were wondering!!) Anyway, you know what I mean. Spring is always a good time in the stories, and Summer is usually even better. Now Autumn is generally thought pretty good. Sometimes you come across "a golden autumn," in the stories. Everyone loves pictures of the trees when they turn their magnificent colors. Autumn is my favorite season of all. Living where I do, I have never really seen an Autumn in its full glory, but every year I love it when it comes. The crisp coolness that comes in the air seems to make everything inside me jump to life again. The leaves as they begin to turn their own special colors thrills me, and ohhh, the smell of a wood in Autumn--! Have you ever taken the time to notice that particular smell of the leaves, combined with the chilly air at Autumn? I love everything about Autumn. The cooler air, the falling leaves, the smells, the acorns, the appearance of jackets and winter clothes again...I love it all. To me it seems like rebirth and a time of rejuvination. The whole earth seems to be getting excited and busy and happy, and it fires through my veins until I just have to become part of it all, or I'll burst!
So, that's spring, summer, autumn, and now winter. Of course everyone loves Christmas, but after December, it seems that people are immediately tired of cold weather. Most everyone I talk to is so "tired of this dreary weather," or it "depresses them."
Now I'm not trying to be irate or anything here. To each his own. Some people just don't like cold weather. I understand that. I don't like hot weather that much. I just find it interesting that people love Christmas and its season and then immediately want the warmth of spring again.
Further note, I know what it's like to get sick of Winter. I remember my senior year of high school after Christmas, I could hardly bear to look out the window. I was so stressed, so worried about everything, and so hopelessly busy that when I looked out at the wet brown grass, the naked branches of trees, and the steely gray sky, all I felt was fear. I couldn't stand it. It reflected what I felt inside instead of helping me feel better.
But may I just offer you a new perspective of Winter?
Winter is the frosty air, and the keen winds that nip your cheeks and nose when you step outside. I love that, as long as I'm bundled up well enough. I love the sting of the wind in my face, because of the way it makes my blood dance in my veins. I'm alive, and I know it. I feel alive, to the very core of my being. I love to run in that wind. It makes me feel adventurous, like some wild thing. I want to run with the wind, to feel that I am a part of the wind instead of fighting against it. Sometimes I feel if I could only run fast enough, the wind would bear me up and sweep me far away.
Let's look around, shall we? The gray sky. The vast gray sky with no boundaries. It's a sky under which anything could happen. Look at the black branches of the trees sillhouetted against it. For a moment, just forget all prejudices you have against that, and just look at the beauty of it. The sharp angles, the clear-cut angles, like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Watch them waving in the whistling wind. Do you feel the excitement? Even the trees seem restless. It's as if everything is inviting you into some great adventure.
Have you ever been walking through the woods on a winter day? Have you ever taken time to notice the wildness of everything? The outdoor world is still not tamed, and I'm glad it isn't. Winter reminds you of that. You see the bare bones of nature, and they are strong and unafraid. Now, imagine that instead of being frightened of that, you go out into it as a friend, wanting to be a part of it all. Appreciate the hardness of nature in Winter as well as its gracious invitation in Springtime. Nature cannot really teach you any specific lessons, but being out in it is refreshing to the mind and the soul. I love the beauty of Winter, even without the lovely snow, because I love the feeling of adventure and excitement.
Have you been outside on a Winter's night anytime recently? I envy people who live up North who can see the Aurora Borealis from their own backyards. One day I want to see those lights myself. But go outside as dusk is falling. I'm always amazed at how such angular, bony branches can cast such long, soft shadows at dusk. Dusk is my favorite part of the day. When the sun and moon are in the sky together, and light and darkness mingle together. Dusk is about harmony, and I love that part of the day most. Everything is peaceful at Dusk, and I love the colors of a sunset. In Winter, the twilight hour is cold, but still gracious and soft, in its own way. And when the sun sets and the stars come out--! I can never feast my eyes enough on the frosty stars that shine out so clearly in the Winter. I love to see stars peeping through the bare branches of trees. Do you take the time to notice the stars? Never be in such a hurry that you don't have time to notice the stars at night.
Where I live, we don't get a lot of snow in the winter time, but when we do, I am always spellbound when I watch it fall. I love to admire the shadows on the snow, or the moonlight reflected on it. I don't get to see that very often, so it's extra special when I do get to see it. Or seeing the woods behind my house transformed when the snow falls. But of course, there are songs about enjoying the world when there is snow on the ground.
If I had some kind of condition and the doctor told me I would have only one Christmas left, do you know what I'd want to do? After our church's Christmas Cantata which always falls on the second Sunday of December, I would have our family pack up and rent a cabin somewhere further up north. Perhaps in Colorado. Just somewhere remote and really comfy and spacious and--country. I would want an old-fashioned Christmas, with cutting down a tree from the woods nearby. Some days we'd go skiing, some nights we'd go on real sleigh rides, and every day we'd play in the snow and explore the woods and take long walks, and go sledding, and go ice-skate together on a huge frozen pond. Some nights we'd drive far away and go carolling all around. Maybe we'd even drive to a big city and admire the lights and decorations and go shopping. We'd all cook delicious food and tons of desserts together and we'd all help with the work. Every night we'd sing Christmas carols around the fire and tell funny stories until our stomaches hurt. And we would all be merry and childlike and content. And Christmas morning we'd maybe have some gifts for eachother. That would be nice, but Christmas isn't about presents. That's what I would love to do if I knew I had one Christmas left on earth.
Okay, that's not where I expected this post to go, but I hoped you enjoyed it. Till next time, then!
~Cadenza
"The flowers that bloom in the spring--tra-la!
Bring promise of merry sunshine!
As we merrily dance and we sing--tra-la!
We welcome the hope that they bring--tra-la!
Of a summer of roses and wine,
Oh, a summer of roses of wine..."
(I did NOT make that up, in case you were wondering!!) Anyway, you know what I mean. Spring is always a good time in the stories, and Summer is usually even better. Now Autumn is generally thought pretty good. Sometimes you come across "a golden autumn," in the stories. Everyone loves pictures of the trees when they turn their magnificent colors. Autumn is my favorite season of all. Living where I do, I have never really seen an Autumn in its full glory, but every year I love it when it comes. The crisp coolness that comes in the air seems to make everything inside me jump to life again. The leaves as they begin to turn their own special colors thrills me, and ohhh, the smell of a wood in Autumn--! Have you ever taken the time to notice that particular smell of the leaves, combined with the chilly air at Autumn? I love everything about Autumn. The cooler air, the falling leaves, the smells, the acorns, the appearance of jackets and winter clothes again...I love it all. To me it seems like rebirth and a time of rejuvination. The whole earth seems to be getting excited and busy and happy, and it fires through my veins until I just have to become part of it all, or I'll burst!
So, that's spring, summer, autumn, and now winter. Of course everyone loves Christmas, but after December, it seems that people are immediately tired of cold weather. Most everyone I talk to is so "tired of this dreary weather," or it "depresses them."
Now I'm not trying to be irate or anything here. To each his own. Some people just don't like cold weather. I understand that. I don't like hot weather that much. I just find it interesting that people love Christmas and its season and then immediately want the warmth of spring again.
Further note, I know what it's like to get sick of Winter. I remember my senior year of high school after Christmas, I could hardly bear to look out the window. I was so stressed, so worried about everything, and so hopelessly busy that when I looked out at the wet brown grass, the naked branches of trees, and the steely gray sky, all I felt was fear. I couldn't stand it. It reflected what I felt inside instead of helping me feel better.
But may I just offer you a new perspective of Winter?
Winter is the frosty air, and the keen winds that nip your cheeks and nose when you step outside. I love that, as long as I'm bundled up well enough. I love the sting of the wind in my face, because of the way it makes my blood dance in my veins. I'm alive, and I know it. I feel alive, to the very core of my being. I love to run in that wind. It makes me feel adventurous, like some wild thing. I want to run with the wind, to feel that I am a part of the wind instead of fighting against it. Sometimes I feel if I could only run fast enough, the wind would bear me up and sweep me far away.
Let's look around, shall we? The gray sky. The vast gray sky with no boundaries. It's a sky under which anything could happen. Look at the black branches of the trees sillhouetted against it. For a moment, just forget all prejudices you have against that, and just look at the beauty of it. The sharp angles, the clear-cut angles, like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Watch them waving in the whistling wind. Do you feel the excitement? Even the trees seem restless. It's as if everything is inviting you into some great adventure.
Have you ever been walking through the woods on a winter day? Have you ever taken time to notice the wildness of everything? The outdoor world is still not tamed, and I'm glad it isn't. Winter reminds you of that. You see the bare bones of nature, and they are strong and unafraid. Now, imagine that instead of being frightened of that, you go out into it as a friend, wanting to be a part of it all. Appreciate the hardness of nature in Winter as well as its gracious invitation in Springtime. Nature cannot really teach you any specific lessons, but being out in it is refreshing to the mind and the soul. I love the beauty of Winter, even without the lovely snow, because I love the feeling of adventure and excitement.
Have you been outside on a Winter's night anytime recently? I envy people who live up North who can see the Aurora Borealis from their own backyards. One day I want to see those lights myself. But go outside as dusk is falling. I'm always amazed at how such angular, bony branches can cast such long, soft shadows at dusk. Dusk is my favorite part of the day. When the sun and moon are in the sky together, and light and darkness mingle together. Dusk is about harmony, and I love that part of the day most. Everything is peaceful at Dusk, and I love the colors of a sunset. In Winter, the twilight hour is cold, but still gracious and soft, in its own way. And when the sun sets and the stars come out--! I can never feast my eyes enough on the frosty stars that shine out so clearly in the Winter. I love to see stars peeping through the bare branches of trees. Do you take the time to notice the stars? Never be in such a hurry that you don't have time to notice the stars at night.
Where I live, we don't get a lot of snow in the winter time, but when we do, I am always spellbound when I watch it fall. I love to admire the shadows on the snow, or the moonlight reflected on it. I don't get to see that very often, so it's extra special when I do get to see it. Or seeing the woods behind my house transformed when the snow falls. But of course, there are songs about enjoying the world when there is snow on the ground.
If I had some kind of condition and the doctor told me I would have only one Christmas left, do you know what I'd want to do? After our church's Christmas Cantata which always falls on the second Sunday of December, I would have our family pack up and rent a cabin somewhere further up north. Perhaps in Colorado. Just somewhere remote and really comfy and spacious and--country. I would want an old-fashioned Christmas, with cutting down a tree from the woods nearby. Some days we'd go skiing, some nights we'd go on real sleigh rides, and every day we'd play in the snow and explore the woods and take long walks, and go sledding, and go ice-skate together on a huge frozen pond. Some nights we'd drive far away and go carolling all around. Maybe we'd even drive to a big city and admire the lights and decorations and go shopping. We'd all cook delicious food and tons of desserts together and we'd all help with the work. Every night we'd sing Christmas carols around the fire and tell funny stories until our stomaches hurt. And we would all be merry and childlike and content. And Christmas morning we'd maybe have some gifts for eachother. That would be nice, but Christmas isn't about presents. That's what I would love to do if I knew I had one Christmas left on earth.
Okay, that's not where I expected this post to go, but I hoped you enjoyed it. Till next time, then!
~Cadenza
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