Embracing Winter – A Personal Reflection on the Season

Winter has finally come to our neck of the woods. Like a toddler just learning to walk, it edged nearer in fits and starts, its presence laying bare the world around me. Trees, once verdant and lush, have been divested of their august raiment. Their branches, like gnarled fingers, stretch upward as though grasping for the few meager dregs of warmth the wintry sun might proffer. Flower beds bordering the front and sides of our house have been stripped of their vibrant garb, revealing stark and unadorned twigs and branches coated with hoarfrost.

For once, I am ready to welcome winter. Unlike previous years, when I tolerated the inevitability of winter’s icy fingers, frosty breath, and swirling snow, I look upon this season as a gift. Just as plants prepare for the vigor of spring by deepening their roots, so I am compelled to embrace this slowing of time and opportune moment to rest, rejuvenate, and reflect.

Though the concept of slowing down seems mostly anathema in today’s culture, winter is a time of rest. I find myself hankering after those long, chilly evenings when I can snuggle up by the hearth, delighting in the crackle and pop of the fire as I crack open the virgin pages of a new book, sipping from my cup of hot chocolate, a handful of tiny marshmallows bobbing on the surface like miniatures dinghies dipping and rising on the ocean’s frothy spume.

I crave the stillness and peace ushered in with that first frost as a veil of hoarfrost encases bushes and trees, their denuded branches shimmering like jewels in the soft winter sun. The meadow, so arid after summer’s drought, now glistens like a coffer brimming with diamonds. The ground crunches underfoot as I walk our dogs, a thin white vapor rising before me in a chilly exhale. There is rest here, the tangible silence of a world suspended between death and rebirth.

Winter is also a time for rejuvenation. Time to read, write, do a jigsaw puzzle, bake cookies, and reconnect with friends. These salubrious activities are often swallowed up in the crazy busyness of spring and summer, so I must prioritize them now while I am able. Mindful that it is during the cold months that seed coats are softened and plants deepen their roots, provoking new growth come springtime, I seize this slower pace of life to replenish lest I run dry and risk having nothing worth decanting into others.

Winter is also an opportune time for reflection. Winter peels away the pretentious layers of my life, divulging the stark core of my being. It renders me vulnerable, exposing the strength and depth of my roots. It reveals my ability to withstand the storms of life. It begets questions such as, “Who am I?” More importantly, “Who am I becoming?” Am I investing in what lies beneath the surface, like health of mind, strength of spirit, and pureness of heart?

Soon enough, spring will come, bringing in its wake a kaleidoscope of colors and new growth. But for now, I greet this season of rest and renewal. For unless I remember how to rest, rejuvenate, and reflect, I risk forgetting how to flourish.