WINTER MUSINGS

I was recently pleased to learn that my novel, A Weekend with Frances, was named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017. Seeing my book on the Kirkus website was a wonderful thing to happen in the dead of winter.

After being visited by arctic temperatures and several feet of snow earlier this month, we residents of Southwest Michigan had a few days of balmy weather before being hit with another round of cold and snow yesterday and today. I remind myself to be patient with winter, to embrace what it has to offer, to learn the lessons it teaches us.

Here are thoughts I wrote for our family’s Winter Solstice celebration last month:

Winter’s blanket of snow invites us to rest, to burrow deep within, to gather strength for the seasons ahead. Potential grows inside us, waiting for the right time to manifest.

Winter trees, devoid of the frill of leaves, are stripped down to the breathtaking simplicity of their core strength. They stand unwavering against the backdrop of the winter sky.

Like the lone wolf on the snowy plain, winter symbolizes walking alone through cold, dark passages of our lives, drawing from deep inner reserves to keep going.

Winter offers the opportunity to cultivate patience. As we wait for what we long for the most, we discover a myriad of unanticipated treasures.