Of Freezing Temperatures and Cold Spirits!

A cold snap has settled over Camp Kreitzer and the extended weather forecast looks bleak indeed. As I write this morning it's 23 degrees and I'm thanking God for central heating. The next few days promise a daytime rise into the low 40s, but Monday and Tuesday the weatherman predicts highs of 19 with overnight lows of 1 and -1. Goodness! I can't remember such a bitter blast in my oh-so-moderate state of Virginia.

With the snow last week, even the chickens seemed appalled. They usually flock to the door to escape the chicken yard and run wild over what to them must be the vast expanses of the field. After the winter storm last week, however, when I opened the door they gathered at the entrance, took one look at the snow and seemed to be thinking, "What is that awful white stuff?" Then they turned back (even Blackie who bullies the others to be first out) and clung to the safety of their little yard. Only as the snow melted did they once again look forward to escape. But there is more snow in the forecast to dash their hopes.

I feel somewhat the same way. January and February make me long to escape to warmer climes. We have no plans to go anywhere this winter, so I'm hunkering down. The gloom and cold has me wanting to say the heck with my thrifty self, to turn on every light in the house, raise the thermostat a few degrees, stay in my cozy fleece bathrobe, and try to find a window where the sun is streaming in and I can pretend I'm at the beach. Alas, many days we haven't seen the sun at all.

These winter months also take a toll on the spirit. Gloom, grey, cold...winter invites the doldrums. This morning, as I read an excerpt from St. Claude de la Colombiere's spiritual reflections, I found myself relating to the poor soul who laments feeling a lack of love for God:

Sometimes we see souls who worry because they feel no love of God, are cold at prayer, and have not even a spark of the fervor which the saints had. Then they begin to doubt if they are in the state of grace and if God loves them, seeing that they love him so little. Be comforted. You have more love of God than you think. Not only do you wish evil to no one, but you wish them well; you do as much good as you can to all. You do not know what it is to take revenge; far from grieving over your neighbor's prosperity, you rejoice in his good fortune: in one word -- you love others. Therefore do not doubt that you love God. These two loves cannot be separated. It is impossible to have one without the other.

This brought to mind St. Thomas More's statement in A Man for All Seasons when he says, "I do none harm...."

I cannot end by castigating winter. God is so good, He ornaments every season with beauty. I rejoice in the glory of starlit winter skies. The air is so clear they are often breathtakingly beautiful. Much as I dread the hazards of big snowstorms, I'm blessed by the stillness and purity the snowfall brings. The birds flock to the feeders with a continuous flurry of activity and the bright red cardinals sit on the bare branches of the apple tree like ornaments. 

And so I embrace the words of St. Paul to rejoice in the Lord always. I pray that all my readers experiencing the frigid blast are warm and safe. And I especially pray for all those facing homelessness from the California wildfires. May God give them all comfort and peace as they face the future. And if you want to offer some practical assistance, Mercy Chefs is one way to assist and share a message of hope.