Good morning…
On Sunday at church, I noticed a left-handed first grader filling out a coloring sheet entitled “Things I like to do in winter.” After the service, I asked a staff person in the Children’s Ministry if I could have a copy of the coloring sheet to use with our first classes of the semester. We are studying the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.
Yesterday afternoon, we took a bit of quiet time to filled out the coloring sheet, then we introduced ourselves by sharing the things we like to do in winter. Our class list was long and our discussion was lively.
Eat lots of soup. Make soup from scratch. Feed the birds, especially the cardinals and blue birds. Enjoy hot tea. Cozying up with a book, I read more in the winter. Enjoying a fire in the fireplace. Take a bath to candlelight. Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hunkering down in the warmth when it’s cold outside. Seeing more clearly the skeleton of the trees before they begin to bud again. Streaks of light on my living room floor. Noticing the crisp full moon light.
When it was my turn, I talked about loving the snow as a child growing up near Cleveland, Ohio. Getting down the big winter weather box of hats, gloves and scarves. Bundling up and waddling outside like penguins. We made snow angels and snowmen; we sled with friends and knocked down ice cycles from the gutters with snowballs. Red-cheeked and freezing, we would come inside to stir hot chocolate on the stove, made with real milk and cocoa. I vividly remember, when I could not sleep at night, watching from my bed as huge snowflakes streaked through the glow of the street lights. We all adored the snow days that freed us to stay home from school. I still love visiting my parents in Ohio during the winter, always, always hoping for snow.
As we prepare to read this Wintering book, I discover on the back cover these words of praise from Nora McInerny, host of Terrible, Thanks for Asking.
“Wintering is the book equivalent of a perfectly timed hug you didn’t know you needed, a warm blanket on cold day,” writes Nora. “So many books about adversity focus on ways to get away from the discomfort, and this book so wonderfully and sincerely says it’s okay to be here, even when it hurts. It’s exactly what the world needs right now.”
You have arranged the earth, set all its boundaries; You are the Architect of the seasons: summer and winter (Psalm 74:17, VOICE).
Might we turn to the Lord, expressing our gratitude, as we weather the joys and the sorrows of this winter together?
…Sue…
P.S. If you would like to join us as we move through the Wintering book this semester, here is our pathway through:
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
Wednesdays 12:30-2:00 pm, Thursdays 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
1/14 & 15 – Introduction to new Winter/Spring semester
1/21 & 22 – Discuss Prologue and September
1/28 & 29 – Discuss October
2/4 & 5 – Discuss November
2/11 & 12 – Discuss December
2/18 & 19 – Discuss January
2/25 & 26 – Discuss February
3/4 & 5 – Discuss March
3/11 & 12 – Discuss Epilogue – Late March
3/18 & 19 – Favorite quotes, takeaways, and art project
3/25 & 26 – Final party
…Sue…
