Season's Updates

We’re still in the thick of winter and mounds of snows keep expanding as snowplows clear the snows from the roads and sidewalks and pile them up over the snow mounds along the roadsides or parks. And yes, it still snows sometimes.

There were days recently when the atmosphere seemed like spring.  The towering pine and spruce trees shook off their loads of snows and their needles came out fresh and light green. The air was saturated with the sweet breath of spring.

The sun climbs higher in the sky now and daylight is longer. It keeps getting longer each day until summertime. 

 Most days, the sky displays an array of beautifully formed clouds with brilliant colors. 

Some days the sun shines warmly and the sky is clear blue.  

Other days are misty and the trees are either bare or coated thickly with hoar frosts.

These are days perfect for skiing. Many go to some ski trails, ski resorts on a hill or to  "fjällen" (the mountains between Sweden and Norway) and have some fun skiing or learning to ski.

Indeed, this season is filled with surprisingly beautiful things, from the ground to the sky, morning, noon and night. 

I always find myself struck with awe as something new in the atmosphere catches my eyes. There’s always something out there that makes a difference, something delightful to see, some kind of small blessings.

 

  

The winter birds too keep flying mirthfully from one tree to another, singing and luxuriating in the splendor of the season. 

Like them, I’m enjoying the season while it lasts, and my heart joins them in singing the glory of winter beauty and praising the Creator who, out of his love for us,  graced our home planet with such wondrous things in order for us enjoy living.

Gratitude

Since we moved to this country, there have been many friends who have shown us extraordinary kindness. Their warm welcome, their wholehearted support, their limitless assistance and their friendship made me feel at home. They have always been around for us - from the moment we arrived at the airport down to this very day, and have proved to be reliable friends and companions. Their kindness makes my heart swell with overwhelming gratitude and moves me to make something to let them know of my appreciation and my thankfulness for what they have done. 

One such caring person is an old friend of my husband, who has joyfully helped us in so many ways. For all that he has done for us, I was inspired to make these gifts for him.

A Thank You card

And a bouquet of paper tulips that I myself made. 

A year ago, I crafted such flowers for our decor, and when he came to our home, he looked at them with admiration and expressed his appreciation. So I figured a similar bouquet might make a good gift for him.

Truly, it feels wonderful to express our appreciation and gratitude to those who have done us something good.  And it's a noble thing to let them know that they are appreciated, for it may make a world of difference to them.

This 3-minute video, Appreciation , shows us the value of expressing gratitude and appreciation. Watching it warmed my heart, and so I recommend that everyone view it too.

Shades of Winter

It’s not merely black, white and gray.

Sometimes it’s white and blue...

Sometimes it’s soft pastels: 

shades of orange, pink, yellow, blue, green….

Sometimes a tangerine glow from the sun...

Sometimes an intensely bright sunshine...

Sometimes a blue night with silver moon...

Sometimes gold...

Sometimes glittery...

Beautiful shades that keep transforming

throughout  winter,

Filling the season with diverse beauty

that abounds everywhere.

My Second Winter

A friend asked me twice if I still loved the snow.  I didn’t need to think before I answered “Yes!”  

Before I moved to this country, to experience winter was just an old dream for me, a remote possibility. I had always felt a warm kinship with this season and the snow. Whenever I read stories or watched movies about winter, a sense of belonging would mysteriously course through my entire being. And when I finally came in touch with the season, the magic burst into different pleasant emotions. I openly declared to anyone I came to know here that I loved winter and the snow even though I often found myself shivering and my feet sore from extreme coldness.

Some said that someday the snow would be too much for me and I would be tired of it. That remains to be seen. As an analogy, I reasoned that all my life in the Philippines, I never got tired of the rain, so how could I be tired of the snow when it’s much better than the rain?

This is my second winter here and I still feel the same old affinity and feelings of wonder that the season has evoked in me. It hasn’t lost its magic at all. I still look at all the snow and the bare trees through the eyes of one who is experiencing winter for the first time. I’m still enchanted by the whiteness and glitters of the snow.  I still stand in awe at the sight of snow-laden pines and spruce trees, and other bare trees coated all over with ice crystals. I still love to walk on the snow, to touch it and to feel the snowflakes settle on my face. Yes, I do love winter! 

One thing about winter that has captivated my heart is the sense of remoteness, solitariness and serenity that it engenders. To me, it has the feel of being “far from the madding crowd” as people prefer to stay indoors during the cold, dark season. I revel in going out for a walk in the snow…. just walking, drinking in the exquisite whiteness of the surrounding, reflecting and mentally communing with our Creator, thanking him for his tender loving care.

This winter has showered more ethereal   beauties that I have never expected, a series of winter-related awe-inspiring phenomena  and several  little surprises that didn’t show up last winter.

For me, this is a winter to remember fondly and to cherish!

My Second Winter

A friend asked me twice if I still loved the snow.  I didn’t need to think before I answered “Yes!”  

Before I moved to this country, to experience winter was just an old dream for me, a remote possibility. I had always felt a warm kinship with this season and the snow. Whenever I read stories or watched movies about winter, a sense of belonging would mysteriously course through my entire being. And when I finally came in touch with the season, the magic burst into different pleasant emotions. I openly declared to anyone I came to know here that I loved winter and the snow even though I often found myself shivering and my feet sore from extreme coldness.

Some said that someday the snow would be too much for me and I would be tired of it. That remains to be seen. As an analogy, I reasoned that all my life in the Philippines, I never got tired of the rain, so how could I be tired of the snow when it’s much better than the rain?

This is my second winter here and I still feel the same old affinity and feelings of wonder that the season has evoked in me. It hasn’t lost its magic at all. I still look at all the snow and the bare trees through the eyes of one who is experiencing winter for the first time. I’m still enchanted by the whiteness and glitters of the snow.  I still stand in awe at the sight of snow-laden pines and spruce trees, and other bare trees coated all over with ice crystals. I still love to walk on the snow, to touch it and to feel the snowflakes settle on my face. Yes, I do love winter! 

One thing about winter that has captivated my heart is the sense of remoteness, solitariness and serenity that it engenders. To me, it has the feel of being “far from the madding crowd” as people prefer to stay indoors during the cold, dark season. I revel in going out for a walk in the snow…. just walking, drinking in the exquisite whiteness of the surrounding, reflecting and mentally communing with our Creator, thanking him for his tender loving care.

This winter has showered more ethereal   beauties that I have never expected, a series of winter-related awe-inspiring phenomena  and several  little surprises that didn’t show up last winter.

For me, this is a winter to remember fondly and to cherish!