Being one who doesn’t care for winter, I have to look hard to find the beauty. When you find the beauty, you find the good. And when you find the GOOD, you find GOD! (Thanks for the reminder, Sue!) All around us, the world is frosted and sparkly.  And even if it’s wet and grey, the stark contrasts reflect the rest we find in this season. The trees rest. The animals rest. Everything seems to rest…save for the birds.

The birds are busy from sunup to sundown…searching for food. They seem to play a never ending game of hide and seek among the naked branches of our forsythia and flowering quince. The swoop in to rest on the fence line or rummage around on the ground for the leavings tossed aside by the more persnickety titmice and blue jays. I love the brilliant flashes of crimson when the cardinals flit back and forth from the protection of the trees to the more open and vulnerable landings on the feeders.

Mr. FixIt and I love the birds. He added two more feeders this winter so we can attract even more. He is diligent about filling them. We especially love the one in the picture window in our family room. It is clear plexiglass and attaches to the window with suction cups. It allows us to stand very still and watch the birds up close. When we are sitting in our recliners, we can hear them fly in and peck, peck, peck on the bottom. It makes us smile.

Birds offer bright spots of joy in the dark, dismal days of winter. And they remind us not to be anxious about anything. The birds don’t fret about anything. Their every need is fulfilled by their Creator. (Supplemented by the kindness and generosity of His children.) Birds remind us that God will take care us our needs, as well. There’s no need to fret about what we will eat or what we will wear. The Bible reminds us that worry won’t add one hour to our lives.

My new yarn and one of the knitting needles I will need for my sweater arrived yesterday. The hardest thing I will have to do this week is to finish knitting the second sock of this pair instead of setting it aside and starting on the sweater. It takes discipline, let me tell you. Because my little Gemini self would be tickled pink picking up the new project. Then who knows when…or IF…I would ever get back to the socks.

This is a new behavior for me and it has become a focus for me this year. When I finish the sock, I’ll lay out all the things I’ve knitted since the first of December (minus those things I gave as Christmas gifts.) I have friends who take pictures of all their projects, who they made them for, the name of the pattern and what materials they used, when they started it and when they finished. I have the first step down pat. I take the pictures.

We do have to run to town today. As I am writing this, it is misty raining after snowing all afternoon. Our appointment isn’t until 11:00 so I’m hoping the roads will just be wet by that time. If not, we may have to reschedule for another day. I really don’t like driving this road when it’s slick out. It would be one thing if I had studded snow tires on my truck, but that is not the case here. I used to have them every year in Colorado but here? They laugh at you because it doesn’t snow that much. Of course, the studded snow tires don’t help at all on ice and we get more of that here than snow packed roads.

I’ll need to make a batch of broccoli cheese soup this afternoon to warm us up after venturing out. What are some of your favorite comfort foods for cold and snowy days?

❄️?❄️

“The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water.”

Job 37:9-10 NLT