Seasons

"Don't let yourself get cold."

That was the advice of the experts as I faced my first winter separated.

Get a goose-filled jacket. Buy flannel sheets. Wear layered outfits.

The less cold I felt, the less cold I would feel. Winters here can be notoriously uncomfortable and terribly inconvenient. Freezing temperatures, windchill factors, and Cabin Fever would do little to squash my Personal Season's feelings of isolation and sadness. I wondered aloud how was I going to get through.

Mercifully, winter proved to be one of the mildest on record. Spring had sprung before I even had a chance to pull out my big coat. Boots went unworn. Despite an early, brief surprise snowfall - we had no measurable winter precipitation. The dark days I dreaded? Sure, they happened, but not nearly as often as I had anticipated. And it always seemed like the next day restored sunshine and promises of better weather to come.

I believe God sent me a few gorgeous days in the middle of winter to remind me His promises for my restoration and renewal were not only on the way, but upon me.





When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose




~ The Rose