I stood on the porch of a friend’s home the other day and took a giant breath of cold air as my eyes searched for the three bright stars lined up in a row - Orion, keeper of the winter sky. Finding him always feels like a spiritual practice — grounding me to the clarity and introspection that the winter season brings my spirit.
When I see Orion in the night sky, I’m instantly transported back to the winter we lived at the farmhouse on McDowell Rd. The snapping turtle pond would freeze over and we’d invite a bunch of families over in the evening to skate and boot around on it. My mom would make thermoses of hot chocolate for when our noses got red and nippy.
Then there was the time in college that a friend and I snowed in at my parents’ house and went out to play in the snow under a moonlight lantern. We slid off the kitchen roof and into piles of snow.
I feel like I have spent the better part of this month getting caught up on house organization — walking downstairs in the mornings to more dishes and piles of stuff than I like and constantly feeling behind. And forget about writing. I’ve been horrible at catching thoughts and ideas before they pop, like bubbles, leaving only residue behind. But at the same time, I’ve been trying to light our candle on days we are home and proclaim, “Christ is light!” with the girls. I’m rereading through Little Women with some friends and absorbing the reminder of all the tedious and delightful tasks that go into making home a welcome atmosphere. I’m chopping veggies for nourishing food and shaking up homemade brown sugar shaken espressos.
This winter we’ve held sledding parties in our back alley and played on frozen ponds. We’ve made snow ice cream and lots of soups. We built a campfire and found animal tracks in the snow. We’ve visited friends and welcomed them in our hobbit home; played games and discussed lessons the Lord is teaching us. We even got to participate in a Poet-Tea workshop at our library, making our own tea blends and word blends. It’s a little harder to see Orion when surrounded by city lights, but the warmth of friendships and community grounds me all the same this winter.
“Have regular hours for work and play, make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.” - Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
How are you working and playing this winter?
You wrote about so many cozy things! We don't have snow, but my kids have been skiing (man-made snow), ice skating, and playing at open gym. Here's to February!