Winter Is Back

The sunset last night seemed to be telling us that change is on the way, and how true it was. We have been a bit spoiled of late, warm sunny days and balmy nights. Warm enough in fact that you didn't even need a sweater. It made me forget that its typical to have a frost in our area around the middle of March. Last night, after the sun set, strong north winds began to blow and the temperatures started to fall. We woke to a wind chill of 27 F. Tonight we are expecting a frost. The garden will be fine, we have a cover for the raised bed and the seeds planted in the smaller of our two gardens will be fine, the soil is still warm from so many sunny days. The big garden has not yet been planted. It needs one more round of cultivating.
It will be nice to have a cozy fire burning today in the stove, chasing off the cold grasp of Old Man Winter. I love the seasons, for all that they give us. Even in their extremes, they give us memories to talk about.
The sky is painted with ribbons of color this morning, all shades of gray. From a soft gray at the top, to a dark and foreboding gray down by the horizon. Quivering branches, still bare for the most part are shaking in the wind. A few stubborn old leaves hang on the red oak, loosing its battle to hold tight to the few leaves it held onto through the coldest winter months. How much like some of us, holding on to things we no longer need, stealing space for new blessings to find a home.
Nature is a profound giver of life lessons if we take the time to see them, understand them and unravel the moral of their story.
God is so tender in His teachings, so compassionate in sharing His ways with us. I wonder why so many just rush through life, never stopping to see the wonder of His creation ?
We are blessed to have the ability to see and to learn from what we see.