September 24 2015

September 24 2015 Greetings My Friend I haven’t seen the hummingbirds for a few days now. They have moved onto warmer climates and I miss them. To me this is the start of fall. I love the first part of the fall season, cooling temperatures after summer’s heat, the flowers in their full glory and even the changing of the color of the leaves. At the end of the fall season winter comes and my mind doesn’t want to accept the cold hard facts of winter. One of the ways that has helped me to move through the harshness of winter is to focus on some of things I love about winter. Each season has good and bad points so I strive to meet winter focusing on those warm feelings I conjure up. As it gets cooler I go from boxer shorts and a tank top to sleep in too pajama pants and a long tee shirt. I allow myself to have more pajama days and revel in the comfort of these clothes. I am a person who likes to snuggle into a blanket while sitting in my chair. During the summer at times it is too hot to be wrapped in a blanket but in the winter I can snuggle as long as I want to. The more I bring my focus to these thoughts the less I find myself dreading the winter season. I am able to move through the long winter months with an acceptance even some enjoyment. I even see the beauty of the four seasons as God created them. I am more reflective too. Winter invites me to be reflective, to ponder the deep things in my heart. All summer I absorb beauty and warmth but winter invites me to look deeper into my life, my faith, my relationships. As I am reflective I also am interested in the smells of home so I cook and bake and to me the sense of “home” sustains me. I start to see how the seasons interact with life in general too. Spring is an awakening to me. I see new birth new potential everywhere. I am giddy with excitement. Summer for me to be a time of absorbing. This year I perfected porch sitting. I took my breakfast to the porch most morning. I learned to absorb hummingbirds, butterflies and beautiful colors of summer. My mind quieted down and I was able to absorb God’s awesomeness more so. Fall prepares me for winter and for some reason I need the season of fall to get me ready to face winter and its harshness. As the leaves fall I can hear them crinkling under my feet. I love the smell of fall too. Soon I smell wood burning in fireplaces and in firepits. I remember camp fires of my younger days and the joy they brought me. I have a desire to nest and make our home comfortable. Retirement is teaching me to slow down and live in the moment. I am not seeking the next excitement around the corner I am learning to relish quiet, cleaning and looking after Junior, our fur children. The more I focus on all the sweet things of winter I don’t feel winter’s harsh coldness and bitter effects like I once did. I am grateful to live in VA now where winter is harsh but doesn’t stay like it does in MI. For the most part it snows, melts before the next snow comes. It gets bitter cold too but doesn’t stay long either and soon it will be spring again, the hummingbirds will be back and I have learned to enjoy this season too. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet