February 10th - Winter can be long

 The story...

Winters can be long as Jeremiah Johnson (Robert Redford) shares with Bear Claw (Will Greer).  There have been times in my life when living through the winter grew me - kind of like those tulip bulbs that are growing beneath the ground in preparation for their springing up in May. I understand that tulip bulbs need the cold winter experience to bloom as they ought.  They grow alone yet bloom together.  These darker times seem necessary for real growth; yet, I can't imagine that we were meant to stay in the darkness long. 

Today is cold yet the sun is shining bright.  I appreciate the winter sunshine.  He cuts through the barren trees and reflects off the snow - it's brighter than in July when all the leaves are out.  He ushers in feelings of thankfulness and joy.  Tomorrow the snow may melt, the clouds roll in, yet my heart can stay warm as I walk humbly and thankfully with my Savior.

Will the only church in town experience periods of winter?  I expect that they're necessary. Might life look brighter if we were a bit less guarded and acting out closer to our true selves?  Might we engage in life more fully, and express our feelings more openly, if we lived more in the Light?

Just for today...

"When I talk all the time, nothing is being added to me.  I am using the same old destructive thought material that has kept me at a standstill for so long."   One Day at a Time (p. 41)