Winter Wonderland

Two weeks ago we received our second plowable snowfall in as many weeks. My only thought was how long a Winter this was going to be. The only redeemable thing about it was the fact that curling up on the sofa in a comforter with a good cup of coffee seemed more guilt free. In fact, it is a requirement of necessity in order to get through the biting cold. But sometimes there are surprises this type of weather brings besides the slipping and sliding and shoveling of mounds of snow.

The Sunday after the second mesasureable snowfall I was to meet a friend of mine. That morning as I stepped out my door, I couldn't help but notice the bright sunshine and blue sky. The air was crisp and cold and I could hardly wait to get into the car and start the heater. My journey would take me on country roads I had driven a thousand times over the years. I drove up the hill and around the hairpin S curve and crested the hill. The roads were clear and dry and I could relax and enjoy my time to just think and be introspective.

However, this was turning out to be a different drive then expected. Something had happened during the night. Something so beautiful and rare there seemed to be no words to describe what my eyes were seeing. I've seen winter scenery before, but nothing like this. Everything was covered in white. It almost looked like everything had been dipped in powdered sugar. Nothing was left untouched. Every house, every tree, every brush and shrub was coated. The fields looked like mounds of whipped cream. The deep green of the pine trees stood in stark contrast to the white froth that lay atop each limb. Mile after mile I drove and it was the same everywhere. I couldn't help but look at the beauty I seemed privileged to be seeing. I felt wrapped in a cacoon of white. Everything looked so pure, so clean, so virginal. It was amazing to behold. At one point I passed a weeping willow tree whose leaves were long gone. But even this was transformed. Every limb was coated and draped in such a way that it looked as though she were bowing to some unseen noble personage. As I rounded a curve there were horses in a field lazily eating what lay beneath the white snowy foam. For a moment they seemed surreal in their presence amidst the field of white. I don't know what happened overnight, but it was beautiful and I was glad to have seen it. I was awed at the splendor surrounding me.

That evening this phenomenon, this quirk of nature, was explained. The weatherman had taken note of it and said that it was a rare occurance of freezing fog. Well there you have it. Explanation given. Science had taken an indescribable scene, a once in a lifetime event, and explained it by simply being nothing more then freezing fog. I can't help but say that I was just a tad disappointed. I didn't want a scientific explanation. I wanted the fairytale allure of beauty unknown. Maybe it's the little girl in me. No matter. The beauty of what I saw that day went well beyond any words I could use here to describe what my eyes beheld. And the memory will be in my mind for a long time to come. I saw the hand of a Master Craftsman at work that morning and for that I am thankful.

Seasons

The little leaf clung tenaciously to the branch of the old gnarled tree it had called home for so many months. The warm winds and gentle rains of the Spring and Summer were gone. In their place was a wind that was hard and cold. The rains that now came pelted its little leaf body as if it were being stoned for some unforgivable transgression. It looked around and saw so many empty places where its friends had hung for so long. One by one he saw them let go and flutter away to places unknown. Why didn't they hang on was the question so prevalent in his little leaf mind. A question that seemed to have no answer. He asked the old gnarled tree but the tree seemed to be in a deep sleep. The sap of the old tree that ran so plentiously feeding him and keeping him green and soft was now gone. He was hungry but there was nothing for him to partake of. His green color had been replaced with a dull brown. His soft flexible structure was now stiff and crackly. He was tired. He wanted so much to just sleep for a little while. Maybe a short nap would make him feel better, stronger. He closed his little leaf eyes and sighed with relief as sleep came immediately. A wind came by and the little leaf, in quiet repose, left his grip on the branch called home and fluttered to places unknown. He was at peace with no need to fight to hang on any longer.

But little did the leaf know that he would return again in the Spring when the warm winds blew and the soft rains would once again come to open the harden ground of Winter. The tree would again awaken from its deep slumber, the sap would again run plentiously and the buds of the tree's residents would again make their debut. The birds would again begin building their nests sheltered within the many leaves positioned on the branches of the old tree. Another cycle of life had happened.

And so it is with humans as well. Life comes with its cold winds and hard rains. We think that because it is a Winter of our lives that we will never see another Spring. But we too have our cycles of life. To have a Winter means we have had a Spring. To have a Spring means we have had a Winter. As natures has its seasons for a purpose so do we have seasons for a purpose. Let's look to our seasons and know they never last forever. Winter into Spring, Spring into Summer, Summer into Fall, Fall into Winter........yes, the cycle of life continues.

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmm......

Here are a couple of things I think about. I haven't figured out if this is food for thought or thoughts for food. In any event, welcome to my table.

Thought #1-
If I were you and you were me and we passed each other on the street would we recognize who we were?

Thought #2-
The whole world's gone crazy and I've suddenly gone sane.

Thought #3-
Normality is reality as you perceive it to be.

Thought #4-
Our very freedoms will one day be our very bondages.

Thought #5-
If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around to hear it does it still make a sound? Okay, so when a heart is broken and no one gives a damn does it still hurt?

Thought #6-
If timing is everything why are all the clocks and watches set differently?

And last but not least-
If I march to the beat of a different drummer then why isn't everyone else out of step?

Hmmm.....I need to get a life!

Middle Age??

I think it must be hard for anyone young reading these posts to know or understand some of what I write about. But for those of us who have passed our youth and are now entering into that time of life known as "middle age", it seems to be a time of quiet reflection and introspection. Yes, it happens to us all. It's that time of life when our bodies move a little differently then before and the law of gravity has taken things once up now down. Yes, the physical side says one thing. However, that part of us that keeps us young, that enabling part of us, is our hearts. That is where true youthfulness lives. And with it comes knowledge of things past which allows us to enter into this new phase of our lives with what is known as wisdom.

It seems that Mr. Webster defines wisdom as having or showing discernment and good judgement. Believe it or not this does happen as we get older. Like it or not it is a part of the circle of life. That which I once gave no thought to I now know and embrace. The folly and rash judgements of my youth are now laid aside. I take more time in my decisions and choices I make. Do I still make mistakes? Of course. We all do and will as long as we are mortals walking on this finite planet. However, they seem to be fewer and farther between. Does this mean I've lost my zest for life? Quite the contrary. I find it most liberating actually. I look for the time when I can share my life experiences with my grandaughter. Hopefully impart my wisdom to her in ways that only maturity can give.

But what about the heart you may ask. Isn't that where I said youthfulness lives? Yes, I absolutely said that and meant it. There is a verse in the Bible that states that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Oh how I have found that to be true. Whatever is in our hearts will be spoken by our mouth. If we harbor bitterness and anger then our mouths will speak it. And not only that but it will show on our countenance. So my secret to staying young? Keep a pure heart. Guard it with everything you have inside of you. Speak kindly to yourself. Trust who you are, where you have been, decisions you have made and look forward to the rest of your life. Laugh with a heart filled with the knowledge that you are who you are. Unique to this world. You are the only you this world will ever see. Make it a good showing filled with love and laughter. And above all take the time to love.

Definition

Being a newcomer to the world of blogging, I sometimes can't help but feel out of place and out of pace with the rest of those I share this new world with. So many varities of peope with so many varied opinions and so many topics. I couldn't help but wonder where my place in this place would be. And, quite frankly, would anyone care. What could I have to say that anyone would be interested in. Would what I write make a difference in anothers life. Ah, now there's the question to be answered.

The other day while cleaning I was thinking about this very thing. The thought of writing something stirring but nothing really to say. Thoughts rambling through my mind with no coherency whatsoever. Does anybody really visit? Does anybody really care when or what I write? But more importantly, how do I feel about this process. Now there was the question that needed to be answered.

I have to admit that I enjoy writing. I enjoy putting my thoughts and experiences here and allowing others into my world if even for a brief moment. I like writing about things I know and I guess I know me pretty well. Or at least I think I do. I don't want to have to worry about being witty and/or sagacious. I just want to be me. I am a mother, a grandmother, a daughter. I have a family that I love because of its diversity. We are not close knit, but we are close. We are there for each other and when the chips are down the fur will fly if needs be. I am not defined by the words I write but by the circumstances of my life and how I let them affect me. Circumstances can and will affect me. However, I will not allow them to "in"fect me.

So where do we go from here? How do I end this post? Heck if I know. I'm just writing. Or is this simply the ramblings of a "gammy" gone wild. You decide.