Thoughts on Snowy Nights

Snowy nights seem to have this magical quality to them. They create this sense of peace whether there are big, feathery flakes falling silently or a blizzard is whirling about outside. You can be in your home safe and warm. Winter is so often thought of as a season of death in it's cold darkness, but I don't think that this is necessarily accurate.
For me, winter seems to be a season of introspectiveness. Just as we retreat into our homes to escape the cold, I find myself (and I think others do as well) retreating into my inner being. It's a time of reflection and maybe even some predictions as well; a time to look back on what the year has been for us up until this point and to think on our hopes and fears for the future. Life moves so quickly. We cannot change our past, but we can learn from our mistakes. We can attempt to invision our future, but really, our heavenly Father is the only one who really knows where our paths will lead. Winter is not, then, death, but a time of retreat and rest, a sort of permission to slow down.

Father, I thank you for good friends and meaningful conversation wrapped up in snowy nights. Amen.