Silver White Winters

Year 6-Day 38 :Today, I am grateful for "silver white winters that melt into springs". 

This sign caught my eye on Pinterest after Christmas. My mantle always seems so bare when Christmas comes down. (This image is not mine... it is from hymnsandverses.com) 

Remember the Danish art of hygge? Somehow, this phrase from the Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things" captures the simplest of wonders. "Silver white winters that melt into spring, these are a few of my favorite things." The wonder of it all, it leaves me breathless. 

For me, this song lyric hit me in a new way this winter. Instead of complaining about the slush, mush and mud when it comes... and it will come... I can focus on the magic of the moment. 

The days between seasons are truly quite short. Changes come, almost before our eyes. It is the melting snows that water the earth and give the new life a much needed drink. Before the seed bursts from the ground in tender new shoot, it needs sun to warm the ground and a drink of water. 

"Silver white winters that melt into springs"... how have I missed the joy in this lyric? It sings of enjoying the ride from one season into the next. One life cycle complete and a new one begins... or is that a misconception? I am learning that winter is more about rest and restoration than hibernation and waiting. How I choose to live it out this cold season is an intentional choice. 

Perhaps God granted us these seasons so that we might have a visual example of life cycles. Like nature, for the believer... death is not the end, but a new beginning. 

While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. -2 Corinthians 5:4 

This winter has been and continues to be a season of loss. It seems the winter season is always sprinkled with funerals. Some of the precious silver-haired teachers and mentors in our lives have taken their last earthly breath and found new life in heaven. It is hard to say goodbye... especially to the ones who lived in "new life" until their last earthly breath. There is grief... but there is gratitude, too. 

We can choose to let out gratitude be bigger than our grief. Gratitude reflects the love and appreciation for a life that made a difference in our life. Yes, silver white winters and silver haired mentors... what lessons and wisdom they bring. My heart smiles at the reminder that what seems like the end is most often a new beginning.  

Today, I am grateful for "silver white winters that melt into springs".