Winter Song

     "They say that things just cannot grow beneath the Winter snow...Or, so I have been told." Sara Bareilles sings a beautiful song that I couldn't help but hum as my shoes crunched through some three inches or better of solid ice that carpeted the ground. The world is so beautiful this morning with priceless frozen jewels adorning each branch. I would have given almost anything to have a camera to capture some of what I saw this morning. The winter-wonderland had many thoughts going through my mind this morning. It all started when I decided that my hair was over-due for a washing and I needed a shower. I gathered the necessary ingredients and went through my usual ritual: two clean towels, turning on the radio station to either 93.7 or 97.7, and turning on the shower head to "steam" and the water as hot as it will go. I almost made it into the shower. As I stood there with one foot poised in mid-air in nothing but my birthday suit (TMI, I know), everything goes completely black. So now I faced the task of trying to turn off the water faucet and find at least one of the towels that I had thrown haphazardly into the bathroom whilst trying not to trip over my PJ's and the dirty clothes I had left there last night. Not an easy task when your name is Leslie Peterson and you can trip when your standing still. Yet, somehow, I managed to make it out without adding any more injuries to my already growing pile (I have accumulated enough in the past few days to write a whole blog post about --including putting a security tag all the way through the corner of one finger).

     So...yes. What does this interesting story have to do with anything? I'm coming to the point, I promise.  It only takes a little bit of cold weather, a little bit of ice, and a little bit of power outage and most people lose the ability to function. You wouldn't believe how busy the past two days have been at my place of work due to the weather. It was like Black Friday without the sales. It is really and truly embarrassing and scary how 99% of people posses not a single ounce of self-sufficiency. Without electricity, they have nothing at all to survive. No food. No heat. No water. No social contact. Nothing that the human body and mind requires to live a healthy existence. I fervently thank God that, while I am somewhat reliant on modern technology, I have the means and the ability to survive without it. I have the future plans to live solely off of what my own land can give me (except internet, of course ;-) That, alas, is something mother nature cannot provide). But no more on that now. That is worth a whole blog post and this one is already long enough.

   Winter, I think, is my favorite season. A lot of people are reminded of a cold and dead world, but I am reminded of a new beginning. A white world of purity, renewing the world. And very little truly dies beneath the winter snow; there is still life there, waiting, holding it's breath, hoping and knowing that the Sun will return to provide warmth and kiss the leaves like the Prince kisses Sleeping Beauty. It's mushy stuff and a bit corny, I know, but it's the way it makes me feel. I believe it's sort of symbolistic in a way.

Take the helleborus, also known as the Christmas Rose. It blooms even in the winter months when the snow seems to hold it captive. There is a lovely story that goes along with it...

(http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/harmalov.php)

There was a very young girl, named Madelon, who heard the story of the Christ-Child and wanted to worship him. She was so eager to meet The Child that she arrived with no gifts to bring Him. She could have scarcely afforded anything anyway, as her family very poor indeed.

(http://www.thefullwiki.org/Biblical_Magi)

       When she arrived and saw the splendor of the gifts that surrounded the baby Jesus, she grew ashamed that she had nothing to give. How could she approach the Son of God with nothing to give? She had nothing to give. Even the clothes on her back were tattered rags

(http://www.stylisheve.com/the-curse-of-the-crying-boy)

The only thing she could give was a flower, surely she could just find a flower. But the Winter was cold and harsh and she wandered in the snow with not a single beautiful petal to reward her efforts. Half-frozen through, never had a child's heart been so disappointed. She was so close to Jesus, yet she had nothing to give. She collapsed into the snow, unable to continue with tears of despair falling on her cold cheeks.

(http://morgenthruston.blogspot.com/2009/07/painting-angels.html)

An Angel passing overhead, heard the child's despair, and the Angel blessed the ground whereupon the girls tears fell. Born up from the frozen grown and bitter tears a beautiful bush grew and bloomed in white flowers. "Nor myrrh, nor frankincense, nor gold" the angel told her "is a better offering for the Christ Child and none is more pure than these Christmas roses because they have grown from the love in your own heart."

A beautiful story indeed. According to one webpage (click here to see), the story has a foundation in a 15th century poem:

A Rose has sprung from a tender root,
From Jesus, as those of old have sung,
And it bore a flower,
In the middle of a cold winter,

When half spent was the night.
Isaiah foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
Is Mary the pure, the little flower has brought us.
From God's eternal wisdom, she bore a child,
And remained pure.

The Flower, so small, whose sweet fragrance fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True man and truer God, helps us out of all sorrows,
Saves from sin and death.

Oh Jesus, until we leave this misery,
Let your help guide us into joy,
In Your Father's Kingdom, where we eternally praise You.
Oh God, allow us this.

 

  

Sorry about the length. I should be very flattered if someone takes the time out of their day to read all of this. To tie all of everything together... I think that we should all be "Harvester's of Light" like in Sara's song and always have a hope for life, like the Christmas Rose. God is in his heaven, and all will always be well as long as we have faith, hope, and love.