Winter Landscape: Simply Beautiful

Daily Gratitude Year 5-Day 9: Today, I am grateful for the beauty in simplicity. 

It is one of those days that I woke up feeling done with winter! The cold has been hovering. Winter makes me weary. Since this is only the ninth day of January, I need to reframe that mindset or I am going to be miserable for the next 2 months. I refuse to choose misery. 

I found this quote this morning and it made me think of the barren winter landscape. 

"There is beauty in simplicity." 

What do I really see when I look across the hibernating flat land? There is a monochromatic picture right outside the window, and especially when driving the highways and byways. 

White, beige, black, brown and gray earthy tones are as far as the eye can see with the pop of a red barn for interest. Even the animals who graze outside on the warmer days are add very little color. Some might call it boring, but if we choose new eyes, we see so much more. We can see that it is beautiful in it's simplicity. 

One of my favorite winter sights is the tall grass in the landscape out my back door. Randy waits until spring to cut it down. It goes from brilliant shades of green and gold to the color of wheat. The tails at the top offer many winter days of interest as they catch the snow and become brilliant when covered in ice. 

Beauty is all around us, if we have the eyes to see it. 

Beauty is, also, within us when we open our hearts to be changed by his love.. 

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. -1 Peter 3:3-4

"the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit"... kind of like a winter landscape. No yards to mow. No flowers to water. It takes care of itself and the snow blankets the ground as it rests before the spring work. 

Today... since I can't raise the temperature... I will make note of the beauty in this day. The quiet grandeur of a winter landscape is present and waiting for someone to notice. 

Today, I am grateful for the beauty in simplicity.