Since the last post, we took a few weeks to visit friends and family in multiple states. Upon our return to Missouri, we were greeted with winter a few weeks earlier than the notation on the calendar. This Texas girl had the opportunity to drive in the snow like a native Missourian as the front came in. It was slow-going, but not as bad as I expected. However, the van was unable to make it up the driveway when I got home. Thankfully, Randy was able to get some traction and get the van to the house. We got seven inches that first snowfall. A few days later another five inches piled on top of it. The temperatures stayed well below freezing for several weeks, so the children got ample time to experience snow. Sledding, snow angels, launching snowballs and laying the foundation of a snow fort consumed their time outside.
One afternoon I was walking through the woods behind the house. The scenery was amazingly simple: white and brown as far as the eye could see. While the visual contrast was beautiful, it was the stillness that struck me most. During the summer and fall, those woods are teeming with the sounds of life - birds, insects, and small animals. However, that winter day, none of those creatures were stirring; they were probably nestled in their warm nests or burrows waiting for a warmer day. It made me realize how noisy life can be...in the woods, in the home, in the car...there is always something clamoring for our attention. These are not all bad sounds, you get used to them, but when they are silenced it is a bit disconcerting and yet refreshing. I am thankful for the sounds of children laughing, beautiful music, a tea kettle whistling, and the wind, but I am also thankful for the quiet moments. These times help to balance the volume of life and are so revitalizing. Winter seems to be the time when God planned for all creatures to quiet down and rest. We should do the same.
"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing." Isaiah 14:7
"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;" Isaiah 32:17-18
