Most of the last few weeks have been pretty gloomy – very cold for the month of December and cloudy and overcast most days. It seems like the sun hasn’t been coming up until after the school bus goes by – and by the time it comes back at three –thirty, the shadows are long and the day is winding down. The days just keep getting shorter and colder, and it makes me just want to spend my days curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace.
But I look on my calendar and here I see it…December 21. Winter Solstice. The Shortest Day of the Year. Hope. Hope that after the darkness, the days begin to grow longer again. Ever so slowly, we see more of the sun. With the first day of Winter comes hope for the first day of Spring.
Warmth and light and growth and new beginnings.
There’s going to have to be some storms and snow and cold between now and then. But each day brings hope for something better.
God promises us that His mercies are new every morning. I think I’ll just curl up on the couch and wrap myself up in that for a while.
Leah by the Lake 
Really enjoyed your blog so far. I’m with my mom and have been reading your beautiful writing. Hope you are enjoying the Christmas wonder in the North woods.
Thank you for the encouragement, Marsha. Have a wonderful Christmas!