Wildflower Writes

  Photo by Dennis Buchner on Unsplash Yesterday, I took a walk through the park and was amazed at the beauty of ice and snow-covered trees. It was like a picture postcard, white frosted branches against a gray sky, alongside a fast-moving river, with a few Canadian geese to keep me company. This morning as I lay snuggled in bed and heard the microwave let out a death beep and saw everything go dark, the snow and ice seemed less romantic. A glance out the window confirmed that my building and at least a few surrounding blocks were out of power. Yet, when I rode down a tree-lined street past a wooded property on my way to church, I couldn’t help but feel the same sense of wonder and admiration at the scenery. It was breathtaking. The same storm that caused downed power lines and fallen trees and icy roads created beauty unmatched by anything humanly designed or created. The inconvenience and hardship of no electricity didn’t diminish the goodness that I recognized the day befo...

Yes, I said Joy in Snow. I don't mean watching little "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes." I mean snow. Snow that dumps in piles and on sidewalks and driveways and streets and icy winds that cut through my heaviest coats. Snow. It's not just that I intensely dislike cold weather. Snow is scary when I have to drive somewhere and the road is slick and I can't see well (partly because I refuse to take the time to clear off my car). Snow is tedious when I have to put on shoes just to take the garbage out. Snow is a pain when I spend an hour shoveling it only to look out the window the next morning to see no evidence of aforesaid shoveling. There are chores, situations, relationships, etc., that seem tedious and overwhelming. No matter how much snow I shovel, or laundry I launder, or dishes I clean, or worksheets I copy, or blogs I write... there's always more to be done. I get frustrated because I have so many new and creative things I want to tr...