Winter

The cold weather, a fire, my family.  What could be nicer?  The house is dusty, the carpet is stained, our cat has scratched the furniture and climbs it regularly.  It doesn't sound wonderful does it?  It is somehow perfect in every way.  What we have tells part of the story of who we are as a family and members of the human race.  Our possessions say that we are low-key, not perfect, relaxed and that we tend to enjoy each other.  I say this because our son's friends come over, sit on the sofa, walk around with drinks, open the fridge and the cabinets to find food (teenage boys) then flop with us or in the gameroom to eat, hang out and watch tv together.  Nothing invites people to stay more than a welcoming atmosphere filled with warmth, food, love and the promise of fun. Sometimes I think I could stay in winter forever because it is the time to be still....or the time for the guys to go sledding.

I look back in these close quarters times to my memories of winter as a child.  I have always loved winter. Winter meant maybe a snowflake or two.  Wearing sweatshirts and sweaters, scarves, jackets and gloves.  Then as a teen in the North it was surviving the cold contests with friends.   It's  a special time for me because of the holidays, the new year, the need to spend time together because of the weather.  I love the idea that rebirth is just around the corner.  Winter is the time to be still and see where life is going.  

I lived part of my life in the South and part of my life up North.  I do prefer the weather up North. I love the snow, the cold, the ice, the frozen world.  All of winter makes me want to stay in a moment forever; I want these moments to last forever.  I know that they won't stay.  I hope my son is building memories of closeness, of the chill, of the snow and ice.  I want him to remember more than just the few inconveniences.  I want him to really enjoy each season and all the good things the seasons bring.  Selfishly I do hope my two favorite seasons are his two favorites also, Fall and Winter.

My favorite winter memories as a child were of spending time with loved ones, hoping for some snow,  I still remember making my last snowman in KY before moving to FL, in FL I missed the snow so much, I remember frost on the ground, our door freezing closed, how giddy I was that I had to miss school because of the iced door.  Puffy jackets (it was the 80's) boots, heavy jeans and sweaters.  As a teen up North I loved trekking through a park with snow all around, felling naughty as we had ice cream in the winter, gamely thinking that I would try skiing at least once, watching the snowfall like it was a miracle and loving even the bitter cold when my nostrils would freeze shut. Now I love all those things and a cup of cocoa with some coconut rum in it on occasion.  I still feel like snow is magical and love to watch it fall.

I am one of those sick individuals that your parents warned you about, I am twisted and absolutely not normal because I LOVE WINTER!!  :)