“Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees that one could easily imagine its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness.” ~ Mary Oliver
Good Sunday morning, dear friends. I do hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mike and I enjoyed a peaceful day. After dinner, I read and he watched football and then we enjoyed our sweet potato pie. The pie is made from a recipe that was my grandmother’s. Although, we both like pumpkin pie, it became second on our list after I first made the sweet potato pie (years ago).
This morning I would like to share a few words about the upcoming magnificent winter season. While, of course, it brings us Christmas, there is more. It is a time to peruse garden catalogs, look up information on a specific plant that is not behaving well (our clematis), and of course, read everything you can put your hands on that you find of interest. Also, to cook and try new recipes. Then, there are the dreadful closets. Who knows what or who may be living there. Find your coffee, and join me. I hope you find a little inspiration for seeing the wondrous days ahead through new eyes.
“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” ~ J. B. Priestly
“Winter was creeping in and, at barely three o’clock in the afternoon, the day was losing substance and dissolving into a dusty twilight.” ~ C. J. Tudor
“I do love the miracle of falling snow. How gently and completely it covers every space, seemingly with so little effort. I love the way the City looks just after a snowfall: so pure, so clean, like a world of make-believe. At night, the lamplight makes the soft, white blanket glitter, and the world becomes magic.” ~ Elyse Douglas
“She went to the window. A fine sheen of sugary frost covered everything in sight, and white smoke rose from chimneys in the valley below the town. The window opened to a rush of sharp early November air that would have the town in a flurry of activity. She stuck her head out and took a deep breath. If she could eat the cold air, she would. She thought cold snaps were like cookies, like ginger snaps. In her mind they were made with white chocolate chunks and had a cool, brittle vanilla frosting. They melted like snow in her mouth, turning creamy and warm.” ~ Sarah Addison Allen
Dear friends, I do hope you have enjoyed your visit. This post is about winter and the wondrous season that is upon us. And, the precious gifts (not packages under the tree) that accompany this time. “It’s Not About Christmas.” That said, I want to close with the thought-provoking words of Nikita Gill. I hope you will find them as meaningful as I have. Especially, as we go into this most special and significant time of the year.
It’s Not About Christmas
“It’s about the mothers who see their children after months.
It’s about the homeless man whose daughter finally finds him and takes him home. It’s about the little girl who gives her only present to her baby brother just so he has something to open even if it’s small. It’s about the little miracles that no one notices. It’s about the grumpy old woman who isn’t grumpy, just tired, because she saves up all her energy for the shelter where she volunteers and looking after stray dogs. It’s about the kindness that wraps itself in ‘strangers’ hands as they help each other for no reason at all. It’s about the love that has found its way back between you and someone you haven’t spoken to in so long. It’s about the people who surprise you when they are there for you when you fall.
We all want to be good, truly. Christmas just makes our true nature stand out in a way where we can hold our heads high and stand tall.
It’s not about Christmas. It’s about the unbreakable bond of warmth and kinship that runs between us all.”
As we end beautiful November, know I wish you and yours a most magical holiday season.
And. . .
May each and every day bring you Peace and Joy!
Stay well.
“The days are getting colder; have a warm heart.” ~ Unknown
Amour,
Sandra
Images: Tumblr
Good morning, Sandra. I also enjoy sweet potato pie more than pumpkin. This is a beautiful post on winter, which I happen to love. We don’t often see snow but when we do it is definitely magical. Thank you for the beautiful images, lovely quotes, and your personal sentiments. Blessings on this last Sunday of November!
Good morning, Pam. We love sweet potato pie and biscuits. I am also a fan of cold days, winter is my catch-up time and I truly need it this year. My mom used to say, “Winter is never long enough.” I didn’t understand that in my youth, but I do now.
Pam, know I thank you so much for your kind words and I wish you a glorious and beautiful December.
What a wonderful post. I loved all of the quotes and pictures that you shared. Have a lovely December!
Thanks so much, Penny. Wishing you a lovely December as well. I am sure you are enjoying being with your sisters.
I love all of these quotes, Sandra, and will be writing them into my own book of quotations. We don’t get much snow here, some years none at all, and I always yearn for it. There is something so special about gently falling snow.
Blessings to you on this day.
Good morning, Lorrie. I am surprised to hear that your area doesn’t receive much snow. We certainly do not have the winters of my youth, but we still have winter.
I am happy you enjoyed the quotes – I do love meaningful words. Have a lovely December, I am sure you stay busy with your projects.
What a wonderful post. I envy your gift with words and I love the quotes you share. Lorrie mentioned having a book of quotes. How do you keep up with yours? I write some of my favorites down but could not find them if I wanted them.
Happy Winter! I made soup yesterday since the weather seemed to call for it. Today, is damp and rainy also good for a bowl of soup for lunch. We rarely get snow but will be visiting in Colorado for Christmas so it is likely we will enjoy the snow.
Good morning, Bonnie. Thank you for your kind comments. I began keeping quotes when I was about fourteen or fifteen. I have notebooks full of them from my early years. Then many years ago, I divided them into categories and placed them in large binders. I still have many that I keep that way, but now I have some on the computer. However, I don’t have my really special ones on the computer as I am afraid I will lose them. My system of the categories and alpha order by the writer does work the best for me.
Hope you will see a snowy Christmas when you are in Colorado. Enjoy this beautiful month and your family. Safe travels.
Sandra, you made me laugh when you mentioned cleaning out closets. I have a couple that could use a little cleaning. This is such a lovely post filled with beautiful photos and sentiments. Happy Sunday, sweet friend!
Good morning, Shannon. If you would see a couple of my closets you wouldn’t laugh you would scream. I plan to get to them this winter. I believe I need Rita to come and organize me. Enjoy this beautiful month and all that it brings.
I love the “It’s not about Christmas.” Exactly. And oh, what beautiful photos and words. Almost enough to make me like winter! I wonder where that aerial cityscape in the snow was. That’s so pretty with the lights coming on inside. Happy week to you — it sounds like a fabulous holiday and now, onward!
Hello, Jeanie. Thank you so much for your kind words. I might not be a fan of winter if I lived in Michigan. Although we do not get the winters that we once did, we still have winter and often extreme cold. I love winter though, it is my time to relax and do some things I don’t seem to find time to do throughout the year. Wishing you a wonderful December with lots of joy!
Sandra, I love your positive outlook on winter. I do find it the best time to rest and recover, and I’m looking forward to pouring over garden ideas this winter.
Good morning, Rita. I do love and enjoy the quiet of winter. You will be whirling and twirling with garden thoughts and ideas. Winter is such a good time for planning. Enjoy this lovely month and also the peaceful days of winter.