Beautiful, Messy, Winter

Musings from a snowy Saturday...

Being stuffed inside for more than a week from bitter cold and snow made a 20 something degree Saturday an invitation out of doors!  We bundled up the kids and ourselves in many layers and played in the fresh snow.  J.J. really didn't like the snow.  Tempie didn't last long either.  I got outside later than Bert and the kids, and I was no where near ready to go inside when the kids did, so I started an impromptu snowball fight with my dear husband!  He's been asking for more spontaneity in our lives.  Haha!  At one point I decided to sit and bury my legs in the snow.  I called out to the kids "Help, a snow monster is eating my legs!  What should I do?!"  My very literal 4 year old responds "Well, you could just stand up."  So much for that one!  

After a while Bert went inside too.  It was just me, the sunshine and the snow.  So, I shoveled the front driveway and sidewalk.  As I was doing so, I was aware of how my actions were disturbing the beautiful perfect serenity of freshly fallen snow.  But I couldn't make my self go inside yet, so I shoveled. Then I went to the back porch and just sat, and listened.  It was quiet...peaceful!  Beautiful.  Once I sat still and looked, I could see the ridge lines in the snow where the wind had blown it.  

I got to thinking about last year's word...winter.  I realized that winter can be beautiful...if you don't disturb it.  Disturbed snow isn't so beautiful!  

But, it encases the footprints of fun had, or work well done.  

It reminded me of a scripture in Proverbs.
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean; but abundant crops come by the strength of an ox." Prov. 14:4
I've learned a lot from God by meditating on this word 'winter'.  Life in winter isn't always pretty, but it can be fun and it can be meaningful.  In order for it to be either though, it will be messy.  I know my winter isn't over yet, but I also know it is just a season.