Winter is like the ice forming on the lake, as the days go by it builds until the thought of Spring is pushed aside for the winter wonderland that emerges.

Colours fade or get buried under the snow. Light dances across the crystals making everything sparkle. Shadows are piercing in the starkness. Vegetation that has dwindled and dried bends to the will of nature. Decay is frozen in time.

Biting cold winds sweep the tears from your face and survival for the next step becomes the focus. Hearth and home is a place you are going knowing that warmth will be your reward.

Each morning hope is kindled as you await the first rays of light that spill through your window. A moment of joy is captured. The fading afternoon light is cherished as a dear friend leaving for shores unknown.

Moods are sluggishly cultivated ready to settle for the long winter ahead. When joy comes it is keenly felt and held close lighting the corners of our darkest days.

I will hold the mystery of winter, embrace its harshness, and celebrate this sharp change of season like a slap across my soul.