BY SHEILA GAIL LANDGRAF
I open my back door to a windy blustering
day and try to find my cat.
His water bowl is frozen over.
I pet him and bring him inside to
get warm.
I feed him warm milk by the fire and
watch him curl up in a ball content and happy to purr the day away.
I step out of the warm house to get
the mail and feel the cutting wind blow sharply across my face.
Winter is here.
It comes slowly spreading its dark shadows across the land.
With no warning at all; it has arrived.
The darkest days of the year begin, bringing cold, pouring rain.
It is time to pull out my heaviest
coat.
As I hear the silence grow I recognize
this soft sound of winter
It comes tiptoeing into our world with quiet steps
Steps that fall gently around those spaces of my life that are usually loud and full of sound.
But now there is a hush on the land as everyone waits on the cold to pass.
They stay huddled inside under piles of blankets.
It comes tiptoeing into our world with quiet steps
Steps that fall gently around those spaces of my life that are usually loud and full of sound.
But now there is a hush on the land as everyone waits on the cold to pass.
They stay huddled inside under piles of blankets.
The birds have all flown away
and I miss their lovely songs.
Those few who stayed behind are now shivering under the eaves of someone's house, hoping to catch some heat from
the outside walls as the smoke billows out from the busy chimney tops.
Straight and tall and waiting, the
black trees stand against the gray sky and shiver.
Winter brings a different dance, one that is whirling and dark.
I must find my warm hat.
I will begin to wear my wool scarf
again.
Just when the sky is grayest and you think all
joy is lost;
The merry red and sometimes rusted sleds
come out of hiding.
Tow-haired boys pull them along the
hillsides with slippery ropes.
Big eyed little girls grab their
scarves and mittens and run outside to play.
Snowmen appear and begin their dance
up and down the lane.
White flakes drift through the crisp
air and land on very cold noses.
Passing carolers stroll along
singing as if they were not even cold,
Their outlines stand against the dark sky, all bundled inside their coats and mittens and scarfs.
Their outlines stand against the dark sky, all bundled inside their coats and mittens and scarfs.
Christmas comes alive and lasts for
twelve days in the best places.
It is a nice break into the gray bleakness
of the silent season.
On New Years Day I look out the
window and see dark even in the middle of the day. What a strange time to be turning a page and
beginning again.
Do all good beginnings not seek for
light?
Remembering the secret to problems
that can’t be solved right away;
I grab my favorite book from the shelf and
temporarily take a summer vacation.
There is still light inside my heart and imagination and it warms the
room. Sipping Chai tea that my daughter
made in my big overstuffed chair, I snuggle deep into a story and read right
through the darkest days of winter.
After good distractions from all my
favorite authors I find myself sitting by the fireplace with warm memories that
will last me till spring, I drink in the
luxury of basking in an unexpected moment of absolutely no activity and my soul realizes
that winter is just a short snuggle until the sun decides to shine again.
As I bundle up and head out the door
for errands my heart is cheered with the lovely unexpected and unanticipated
surprises of winter. I finish my errands
and stop for a small treat, a pleasant reward for braving the cold evening
air.
Looking out the storefront window while sipping
hot chocolate I ponder the fact that the stars shine
brighter against a winter sky.
The skyline of the cityscape blinks
back at me as if to give a special winter’s greeting. It stands crisp and bright and glowing against the night
sky, lovely and unafraid of tomorrow.
And every winter comes and goes this quickly with its sneaky little moments of warm memories that make up for the
cold weather.
Why am I surprised every year all
over again?
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