Phil Delivers the Goods
I realized yesterday that we are either halfway or two-thirds of the way, depending on how you look at it, through winter and I have yet to write about my love for winter. So here we are on Groundhog Day and I just learned that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, which means we get more of my favorite season, YAY! I mean, if a groundhog who lives in Pennsylvania can be relied upon.
With the looks of the sunrise this morning, I would think local groundhogs would be seeing their shadows as well. I would say no matter which seasoncounting methodology you subscribe to, we are comfortably in the middle of my favorite time of year, which is anything that is not summer.
We are so smart and/or blessed to live in a place that gets four distinct seasons which last an appropriate amount of time. Summer can stretch on a little long here sometimes, but not to where it goes through Christmas like it does in South Texas. I lived in South Dakota for one year as a kid, where the first snow was on Halloween and the last one was on Mother’s Day—I am pretty sure I would not be such a fan of winter if it took up more than its fair share like that.
The Bible says we are supposed to rest every seventh day. I long ago concluded, and now science is beginning to back this up, that God built the human body and brain to need that regular day of down-time. Did you know the Bible also says we are supposed to leave our fields fallow for one year out of seven? This, also, is supported by science. So there is a documented need for all things on earth to have regular periods of rest. Winter is a necessary time of rest for many parts of the natural world, including us.
My family cannot hibernate during winter as it is the second half of our business’s busy season. Our dormant period is late spring and early summer after we have wound up the loose ends of the previous busy season and before we start preparing for the coming busy season. But we are still able to make some adjustments for winter.
This year I have adjusted my sleep schedule to what my brain is determined to do. I wake up around four to four thirty nearly every morning no matter what time I go to bed, so I started going to bed around nine, and sometimes as early as seventhirty. What a difference that has made! It also allows me more time with some of my favorite wintery things like wearing flannel nightgowns and covering up with quilts. I really do not know how this is going to work as the days get longer.
For now I am enjoying our beautiful winter with its colorful sunrises and sunsets, the birds, the angle of the sun, the bare branches of the trees, the clear night skies that let us see all the stars, the bright green wheat and oat fields, and the sprouting wildflowers. The only thing missing this winter is the rain, and on that note I will sign off and have some prayer time. SpringCreekArtsGuild@ gmail.com