Winter in January (Reprint from December, 2015 but it still holds true today)

Of all the seasons, #4 on my list as favorite is the season of winter.  I find that my list of against out weighs my list of for when it comes to winter.  This dislike for the winter comes as no surprise to those who know me.  What is surprising is that for someone who despises winter the way I do, I live in a place that has winter almost 6 months out of the year.  However, to be honest, I would say that there is one part of this snowy, extremely cold season that I do appreciate.  It is that time after the first good snowfall.  Now when I say good snowfall, I mean when there is enough snow on the ground that not one fraction of green (or brown in some places) can be seen.  It is that moment when I look down the road where I live only to see an unbroken blanket of white.  No tire tracks, no people tracks, no sled tracks, not even animal tracks....just pure white.  It is the feeling of that brisk cold air that hits you in the face when you first come out from the warm house, the smell of what can only be described as a deep breath of pure fresh air, the sound of a branch cracking in the wind or under the weight of the snow covering it.  It is that one moment when the world stops ever so briefly so that we may appreciate God's handiwork without the sights and sounds of snow machines, snow plows and snow blowers.  By February, I will be going thru cabin fever and complaining to any and all who will listen that I am sick of winter and why do I live in this cold unpleasant place.  But for this brief moment in time, I will bundle up, stand on my front deck, smile and enjoy the beauty that God has created..