- photo by Susan PageI have never been a person who particularly enjoys winter. I need to dig deep to find any appreciation for the season.

These negative feelings about winter seem to intensify as I get older. People keep reminding me how wonderful our winter has been because it started so late, and I know we are supposed to focus on our blessings. But the memories of sitting on the highway in a snowstorm, sliding on black ice or hearing the wind howl through every unknown crack in my house are not things that I can put in a good light. And speaking of light, what about those long dreary days when the sun does not seem to belong to the solar system?

Cold temperatures have me longing for a hot bath when I have only sprinted from the car to the house in search of warmth. Then there are the boots ... the slush, and the dirty filthy salty car that you manage to brush up against which messes up your clothing.

My outlook shifted one morning when I awoke early due to a severe winter storm, requiring me to clear the accumulated snow. I soon received a phone call to say I could take a Snow Day from work. “Snow Day” WOW, I have not had that experience since childhood.

So, after clearing the snow, I checked on the elderly couple who lived next door. I still had time to bake muffins and snuggle by a warm fire preparing a Small Group Bible study. I found myself truly thankful for the winter storm. Suddenly around 3:00 in the afternoon the sun burst out and I bundled up and took my camera to take breathtaking views of the winter wonderland. The sun glistened off the frozen trees by Lake Ontario, and I returned home both hungry and exhilarated. I realized I was grateful for the beautiful day God had blessed us with.

To top it all off, I enjoyed a quiet evening at home appreciating the downtime. All this to say, it was an unexpected blessing and the verse that came to my mind was:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.