Watching nature transform around us from fall to winter was truly inspiring. As leaves fell and trees were left stark, baring their skeletal limbs, we began to see so much of what was actually surrounding us that had previously been hidden behind lush foliage. In the mornings, watching the sun rise warmly over the hills, one could clearly observe the activities of various creatures - a woodpecker hammering away at a tree, birds surveying the ground for exposed bugs, and squirrels leaping from limb to limb - sometimes chasing each other up and down tree trunks at speeds that left one in awe that not one ever fell! Being able to walk through open areas that previously had been too covered in brush was an enjoyable experience as we could now explore more and see so much further than before. It was indeed a wonderland.
My own children came out to the lake to spend time with us at the end of the year. A special time after not seeing my youngest son for over two years because of the worldwide crisis. We enjoyed lots of laughter, board games, love, and meaningful conversation together.
This season was no different from the others, as it seemed that my life was correlating to what was happening around me. Sometimes the dying off, or even what appears to be the death of something, actually gives us new vision and hope. This was a time of reflection. A time of being quiet with God and listening to that still small voice in the midst of the silent, seemingly cold winter. What I heard repetitively were words of hope, of trusting him, of standing on all that he had spoken thus far, of believing that he is our protector, provider, counselor, defender, savior and lover of our souls. He was preparing me to "see" that in what presents itself to be death...there is life, and that sometimes it takes that death for us to see more clearly...