november 12

arctic blast.  polar vortex.  cold air injection.  whatever you want to call it…it’s just plain cold in my neck of the woods.

dear weathermen….could you please stop being so dramatic?? we get it…old man just decided to just barge on in rather than knock politely.

i get it though. this recent cold snap leaves no doubt…the seasons are changing. i can feel the bite in the air. i can see it in the falling leaves. winter is coming.

to be honest, i use to dread winter….the cold, the dark, the gray. and although i wouldn’t go as far to say that i enjoy winter, over the past few years i have come to embrace winter for its own unique beauty. i have come to appreciate that winter is just another stopover in the ebb and flow of the seasons.

thank you photography.

if i have learned anything from four years of blogging, it’s this…nothing stays the same. yes, i’m 46 years old and i finally got it…because i’m a fast learner like that. i am finally learning to embrace and appreciate the rhythm of life…the nature of things. that same ebb and flow in the seasons of my life and how that translates into my how i experience change.

i’ve been thinking about winter and the dark season today because i have some dear friends who have received devastating news this week. life is so fragile. life can change so fast. once again, it is giving me pause. times like these are when the rubber meets the road so to speak. times like these cause me to dig deep in my practice of gratitude.

it’s the ultimate paradox…all these things in our natural world that i cling too looking for comfort and stability. and yet, it’s the One thing that i can’t see or touch that is my source of hope and profound gratitude. the One who never changes.