Sinking into Winter

14 inches of snow on the ground
20 degrees
Partly cloudy

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Outside, the world was smothered by a deep blanket of fluffy snow. Inside, we were cozy by the wood stove.

Our little west-facing kitchen window looked out on a world turned white overnight.

I like this time of year. Time slows down and the urgency of summer is past. Like the land beneath the snow, our lives lie fallow. This is the season of inward-turning thoughts, slow mornings and thick, enveloping night.

I think of this as the dark half of the year but not even our nights are spent in blackness. Rainy October was dark and dreary but now that the earth is covered with snow, the nights are ghostly-light even under overcast skies. And when the moon shines, we live in a fairyland. We walk out in a muffled landscape, its rough edges softened and hard surfaces cushioned.

We live now in the domain of a benevolent night. The sun's brief appearance across the southern sky is merely an interim in this land of winter darkness. Yet I do not fear the long night hours. I feel safe and sheltered in this quiet season. Sheltered and waiting--not with impatience but with gratitude for this peaceful time of year. We run at double-time all summer. Now is the time to cherish and heal and rest in the blessed night.