Photo Credit: Marilyn Armstrong @Serendipity
How do you greet Winter—
Bitter, drab and dreary
Frosty sights and sounds
Anything but cheery…
A silent ghostly presence
Chilling to the bone
Outwardly uninviting
Wishing it ‘Be gone!’?
Br-r-r-r-r is the sound
Silvery is the sight
From dawn to dusk
Bitterness through the night
This hoary side to Winter
Is that all there is to see—
A shroud of dreariness
Heaviness of heart to be?
Solace in Winter
Restores warmth to the very soul
Lifting up heavy hearts
As magical moments unfold
©2014 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
Yes, indeed, Winter brings chills to the bone but with it comes extraordinary beauty, grace and even a sense of magic. For those encountering snow, early, early morning reveals a new dusting of silvery white from Nature’s paintbrush swishing over, under, around and through everything in sight. Ice-glazed water glistens in the daylight as tiny birds peck away for a single droplet. The gracefulness of snowflakes whirl and twirl around and around floating effortlessly, landing softly one atop another. Person after person stroll in the midst, bundled up like Eskimos, giggling as the cold bites each nose and resemble the main characters within a magical snow globe scene.
Of course, we know there is a flip side to the coin depicting this scene. Whipping winds, fast-falling stinging snow, blizzard warnings, subzero wind chills do not seem so inviting. Shoveling snow, scrapping windshields, steering away from snow banks, donning three to four layers of clothing are commonplace when treks outdoors must be made.
Regardless of the coin’s side, there is solace in Winter that touches the soul even in its coldest moments…
Where do you find solace in Winter?
catnipoflife 
I keep waiting for it to happen here
[…] Winter brings chills to the bone but with it comes extraordinary beauty, grace and even a sense of magic. For those encountering snow, early, early morning reveals a new dusting of silvery white from Nature’s paintbrush swishing over, under, around and through everything in sight. Ice-glazed water glistens in the daylight as tiny birds peck away for a single droplet. The gracefulness of snowflakes whirl and twirl around and around floating effortlessly, landing softly one atop another. Person after person stroll in the midst, bundled up like Eskimos, giggling as the cold bites each nose and resemble the main characters within a magical snow globe scene. Of course, we know there is a flip side to the coin depicting this scene… […]
Taking a trip to southern Ca where it’s 78-80 degrees! I hated to come back!
We are heading south to the Miami area the middle of February. That day will not come soon enough!
I wish it would start snowing here. *sigh* It feels like fall – it looks like fall – I’m about to get really bored by fall….
I love this picture and the poem of course!!
And some hot soup too. Definitely soup. Maybe cocoa. My feet are so cold.
We got a break today with temps up to 40. How are yours hanging on? Lowest has been 16 which is highly unusual for this far south.
Great post . Although I agree the snow, etc can be very beautiful, I am not a fan of the bitterly cold weather we have had this week! Temps of 20 below and wind chills of 47 below make it very difficult to find any solace. The only solace for me was that I retired –last week! just in time.
Happy retirement! Whoo-yoo! Now that is something to celebrate. I cannot imagine the extreme cold that you are experiencing. Winter is definitely majestic but also ferocious!
Thank you! I have never experienced quite this much cold before and I’m a northerner! with the exception of 6 years in Texas, my whole life has been in New England where I am from and for the last 9 years southern WI and never seen it quite this cold! Can’t wait to move further south to TN before the next winter I hope.
I definitely see the beauty in it.
I feel it too – until the nasty temps cut through me. Brrr…
Time to get me a cuppa’ cocoa! 😉