Monday, December 9, 2013

An unexpected gift

A winter storm, fierce and forboding, descends upon the land
We brace ourselves for the squeeze of its icy fingers
A fire blazes inside to ward off the chill, seeping through the windows, 
rushing in through the opening door, 
as the puppy bounds outside in wonder at the newness of it all.
Stillness settles in.
 Snow flakes gently fold themselves into one another, 
a pillow of softness for weary souls
The earth heaves a sigh and snuggles beneath the billowing blanket of infinite white.
Mother Nature hums a lullaby:
Time for rest, darlings, time to dream.



Sometimes a gift can come in the form of adversity.  Things that seemingly make our lives more difficult can be small blessings in and of themselves.  Our recent snowfall has been this way for me.  Luckily, there was plenty of warning about the winter storm, and we were able to stock up on supplies-- food, drinking water, fire wood, pet food, household water.  We were expecting to lose power, which would have shut down our well pump and out heat pump, but fortunately, that never happened.  




The long days have been filed with simple pleasures, such as napping with my cats.  Newcomer Griffin with his own infinite whiteness, is like living art.  And he blends into my decorating scheme just beautifully.  Though I was hit with a momentary desire to warm up my decorating scheme for fall, now that winter weather has hit, white once again seems right.  





One of the most profound gifts of being snowed in has been the gift of time.  The days have been deliciously long and as productive as I have wanted them to be.  I have had time to read, to write, to create, to dream, along with the necessary chores of meal preparation, laundry, and cleaning.  

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to warm up and the roads will begin to thaw.  I will return to work, and this sweet winter respite will be over until my holiday break begins at the end of the month. Despite the heavy work of shoveling the driveway, cleaning off the cars, and splitting kindling, these few days have been a time of calm and simplicity, and for this, I am grateful.  Watching snowflakes fall is meditative, and my tiny house, with its wall of windows, provides a front-row seat to Nature's spectacular performance.

Wishing you a break from the busy-ness of life and time for reflection and presence, snowstorm or not.

Until next time...

Anne

 Poetry and photos in this post are property of Anne Silver.

1 comment:

  1. Your words are so beautiful. I can only imagine the view you have of such enchantment. I have never been snowed in. Though i am very aware of the need of the rest it would provide. Our world is moving so fast these days with the internet, iphones, etc the busyness never ceases. I need the respite nature gives. I believe we all do. Thank you for sharing. Your post is a breath of life for my soul.

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