I love snow in November and December. The Christmas lights sparkling in it just makes my heart happy. And even though it is cold, it is bearable. Once January rolls around, the cold becomes bitter. And although I can't help but find a calm snowy night beautiful anytime, there seems to be a lot more cloudy days with a lot less sun. And the toll of being stuck inside without much fresh air begins to set in. Sometime around the beginning of February my body usually has enough. I feel like I will never be warm. I ache for sunshine. And it gets harder to find my joy.
That is when I usually realize I need a perspective shift. And that is when I pull out this book each year. I adore reading anything by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And I especially love that a lot of what happens in her books, happened near where I am right now. I remember the first time I ever read "The Long Winter" in school. I just couldn't put it down. And I have loved anything Little House On The Prairie ever since.
I find it hard to feel so sorry for myself when I am in my warm house, not waking up to snow piled against my bed. When I know I don't have to wonder if we have enough food to make it through a hard winter. And I love the many reminders of how a simpler life just brings you so much more joy. So if you need a break from the cold and from all the tasks of your day to day life. Or if you just want to find joy in the simple things, take some time to read about the Ingalls family and their long winter. I hope it fills you with all the warmth and joy you need to get through your own long winter.
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