Winter has been long for many people. The stories have to go back to ’55 – ’56 to get the same type of sense of longevity. In that year, one farm lady said their vehicle sat in the garage from November – May. They were unable to release the vehicle from the snow!
I think some people feel like they have been unable to be released from snow. There are cases of mild depression (and even severe depression). A day of sunshine does amazing things.
What is often needed is to find a time in the midst of our days to come to solitude and silence and prayer before God. I’m reading a book by Henri Nouwen that emphasizes this approach. As I continue through the book, I see my own need to look “over” the snow, to look “through” the busyness and to find time for retreat.
I am hoping in the next few days to do just that. I have been clearing my schedule. Aside from the close connections that need to be maintained as a part of daily life, the schedule can be moved. And perhaps my location will need to be moved.
In the end, the goal is not to leave life, but to encounter life. I trust that you also, those who are in the midst of the same season of the year as I am, might find time to refresh. Perhaps not a retreat, but a refocusing of your thoughts on God. Perhaps not time off, but time spent in depth of thought and not worry or anxiety.
May God give to you a refreshing.
It has been a long cold blustery winter, for you folk out in the west. Weird all over the world, it looks like. It’s true that taking a break from it all, one way or the other, is the way to spring forward ! Hope it works for you, Ron.
Perfect timing with great advice — I think this is something that I too need to do.