oh, the winter

i like living in michigan.  i haven't always liked it but, as i have gotten older i have learned to appreciate the beauty of the 4 seasons.  many places have 2 long seasons with like a couple a weeks of fall and a week of spring.  but in the mitten we get 4 squares a year.  with the change of seasons come the bodies reaction to the change.  i just had my annual holiday with my pal mr. sinus/head cold this week.  that was a real treat.  i can't help when looking at how seasons changing effect the inhabitants of the area in transformation.  when winter arrives, we are all effected greatly.  it's unavoidable unless you uproot and move to a warmer climate.  this is how i think it is spiritually for us in the midst of the changing of seasons.  when the time for summer seasons in our spirituality give way to a terrifically brutal winter, we typically look for a way out, a way back to the comfort of the warmth.  most of us will whine and complain about how things were in the "summer" while a small group of people run into the blistering winds with an eagerness to be tested...to be taught what only winters can teach.  while most hibernate begging for the return of the good old days when life was comfortable and easy, scheduled and predictable, a few of us relish the late sunrise and the early dusk.  we want to grow.  we want to have stories to tell others about how we fought the cold with wise snow caps and jackets of righteousness.  our winter boots leading us and the peace that was only given to those who trust the leading of those boots of wool and rubber.  a few, only a few want to hand these ways down to their children and their childrens children.  those fanatical lunatics cry out "bring forth the warfare!"  if you're one of those crazy fearless fanatics then you know just how to enter a winter just by simply asking for it...just ask God who gives generously "Daddy, i want to love people more, i want to be more patient, give me wisdom, whatever it takes, i want it and i want to give it back in return."  while most ask for summer, the believers know that there comes a time when you get down on your knees and softly ask our Heavenly Father to send a cold breeze their way.