Quite frankly I am not always fond of Januarys. It is nothing personal, it’s just that everything is on challenge mode in January.

Surprisingly this January is flying past. And even more surprisingly it has been a good month! (Probably in part due to the fact I am taking a well-deserved break from college.)

Around four o’clock in the afternoon the other day I was going around the house, closing curtains against the coming night, a night that promised below zero temperatures. I stood at one of the windows for a moment and saw my childrens trampoline, forgotten and neglected, there was about six inches of snow piled on top and it was very lightly snowing, a cold gray moment devoid of sound or life. It was serene and haunting, a reminder of sunny days bursting with noise and color. I was in that moment profoundly grateful for winter. For that quiet moment, for the opportunity to press my forehead to the cool glass and breathe in the rest that winter provides. In the warm sun basking months we hurry from here to there, trying to cram in and squeeze out every drop of summer, it is frantic and hectic and wonderful, but often so very exhausting. Thankfully we have winters to pull back, to examine, to plan, and most importantly, to rest.