A Wood Fire

 Daily Gratitude Year 9- Day 341: Today, I am grateful for a wood fire.

It is 23 degrees outside. (Claire, Gypsy and Kinga... that is -5 degrees Celsius.)It's cold.  Not frigid but cold enough to make me wear a coat. It is December, so the temperatures are expected to be around the freezing mark here in the Midwest plains.

I came home to a fire started in the fireplace. I love my fireman. Our fireplace burns wood. The smell and the radiant heat make the colder months more bearable. 

Generations of humans have sat by a wood fire to warm themselves. There was a time, it was for survival. For us, it is more for pleasure, although it does warm us to the bone. 

I know the scent of the wood fire reminds me of  so many evenings when the boys were small and the Love of My Life would build a fire. We would all lay with our feet on the hearth until it was too hot to bear. Morning fires are special. Mostly on Christmas and a few blizzardy days. A fire makes any day or night a little more special. 

I can't help but imagine the night the shepherds were out watching their sheep. I imagine they had a fire. I am not sure what wood they would have burned, but we know they had different kinds of woods available. Can you imagine the snap, crackle and pop as the flames danced? It is always mesmerizing. The stars illuminated the sky and suddenly an angel appeared in their midst. What a night! 

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,  " -Luke 2:8-9

I imagine the scent of a fire and a star filled night would forever remind them of that special night and their chance to welcome the Christ child. 

Today, I am grateful for a wood fire.