Dear People Who Love Winter,
Just checking in here. See all that ice and snow? Yeah, that snowcrete that is our permanent backdrop now? The stuff we have children sliding all over trying to catch the bus or walk to school? Yup, that. It’s hard to miss.
I will admit that it’s lovely and shiny and white—well, except the gray and black stuff that’s hanging along the sides of roads and parking lots. Our yard these days is one giant iceberg. The wind chill is biting. I’m not sure we will have any skin left by the end of this—I mean, if there’s an end.
But I keep trying to remember that someone loves every season. So…um…winter enthusiasts, is this still fun for you? Are you still loving the beauty of it all? Because you’re on my mind as I scream through the cold while inching between my car and heated inside spaces. I really hope this weather is still making you feel happy and excited and alive.
Remember back in the summer when I was soaking up the heat and even the humidity with great joy? And you would say things like, “When it’s cold, it’s easy to get warmer, but it’s really hard to cool off when it’s hot”? And I would say, “I guess,” but I didn’t really believe it. I just didn’t want to argue. Remember that? Here’s the truth. I didn’t agree then, and I don’t agree now.
So, this is what I want to know, when you walk outside these days, and it’s so cold you can’t feel any part of your body, do you still have a giant frozen grin? Are you still thrilled with this whole winter scene? Does this make your heart sing?
It’s OK if it does. In fact, it’s great. I actually hope it is making you happy. I have a friend who loves gray and rainy days, even the colder ones. And it helps me grumble a little less to think that Tonya enjoys those days—days that are not my favorite weather. So, it might make me happier to know people are enjoying this.
Because…truth be told…I’m kind of over it. I’m ready for a good thaw and for warm sunshiny days. I’m ready for ice to be something I buy as a snowball with flavoring poured over it. I’m ready to only need a shovel for sandcastle building. I’m ready to shed coats and gloves and hats. Winter, be gone.
A friend tells me their Great Pyrenees mix is in her glory. So, Chloe, I hope you enjoy it. Soak it all in. Slip and slide across the icy snow and breathe big smoky clouds into the frosty air. Have all the fun you can. This winter will end. Spring will come—and then summer. And I promise to think of you fondly while I’m relaxing in the warmth of the summer air next to the pool, refreshing myself with a lemonade and forgetting that winter exists.
So, be happy for now, winter enthusiasts. Enjoy your favorite time of year. After all, you’re not alone.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux might have been a winter person, too. “I don’t know if I’ve already told you how much I love snow?” she said. “When I was small, its whiteness filled me with delight, and one of the greatest pleasures I had was taking a walk under the light snowflakes.”
And St. John Paul the Great said, “Here the silence of the mountain and the whiteness of the snow speak to us of God, and they show us the way of contemplation, not only as a way to experience the Mystery, but also as a condition for humanizing life and mutual relations.”
God is present in the snow and in the ice and in the cold—just as he is present in the warmth of summer and the gentle rains of spring. He is here with us whether we’re shivering through the biting wind or strolling down a warm, sunny beach. And what a gift that he is.
Enjoy this time, you diehard winter fans. Let’s talk again in June.
XOXO, A Lifelong Summer Fan
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