Where would Spring be without the Winter?

How do you feel about cold weather?

I used to enjoy the snow and cold weather when I was younger and full of energy. My son Matthew and I loved to strap on our cross-country skis and head for the trails right behind our house. In the beginning, Matthew was more interested in finding a slope to ski down over and over again but he quickly caught on to how much fun it was to explore the 300 acres we had available to us. We’d spend hours galavanting with our Golden Retriever, Zoe, at our heels. Once we were all tired and cold, we would head back to our snug little 140-year-old house and get the fire roaring. Drinking hot chocolate made our insides warm up our outsides. It felt a little like we were in a Norman Rockwell painting!

Matthew could always make an adventure happen, even just in our own back garden where we had a fire pit. He would pull out the hotdogs and we would have a winter Weiner roast. He was passionate about being outdoors just as much as I was, which was something my other sons weren’t.

The cycle of God’s creation is indeed a wonder to behold and when I think about how each individual snowflake is a unique masterpiece, I am in awe.

But now Matthew is gone and the cold makes my bones ache. I look at the snow as something that looks pretty on December 24th but otherwise needs shovelling!

Maybe my perspective on this issue is influenced by the current “season” I am experiencing.

But I do love having 4 seasons as without the winter, I probably wouldn’t appreciate the springtime nearly as much!