mustering

My little ones are naturally enthralled and energized by snow and seem impervious to the chill. This photo was snapped at the onset of our first snowfall 2 weeks ago. He perched on the windowsill for nearly an hour, watching each flake build upon the next, anxiously awaiting some play time. And Santa.

I wish for a smidgen of such excitement.  I'm just never quite prepared, mentally, for the first snowfall of the season here. I know it's Idaho, I know winter is inevitable, yet still the first storm of the season takes me by surprise and puts me in a funk. Here we are with our second wave of snow piled and drifting and I'm no more welcoming of it than before.  I tell myself  it's just a fleeting storm and that the skies will brighten again soon before winter really truly sets in. But I also tell myself to muster every bit of fortitude I can find because it might just be here to stay.  And those thick grey skies above and icy earth at my feet will serve as my prison cell for the next 6 months and oh just say it ain't so. it's too cold, too much, too soon, for far too long.

 

If it weren't for Christmas to look forward to and for the delight on my little ones' rosy faces, it really would seem the depths of despair. Brrrrrrr.  I even put on the Christmas music last week in an attempt to bring some kind of cheeriness to my outlook. Muster some positivity I must. Somehow. In the meantime, another round of hot cocoa please.