Talking my way out of the mid-winter blahs

Since I'm on the topic of winter in Minnesota, it occurred to me that it's about that time of year when the mid-winter blahs set in. Last year winter pretty much went out the door with February, but I have a feeling we won't be so lucky this year. Every time I try to navigate a parking lot with its towering snow piles, I wonder how long it's going to take for all those piles to melt.

Truth be told, I really hate winter. I know hate is a strong word, but somehow saying "I intensely dislike winter" doesn't have the same effect. I hate having cold feet all the time. I hate driving in the snow and ice. I hate shivering when I get into my car after work. Oh sure, I'm Minnesota born and raised, and I suppose you can say feel proud to make it through the winter each year, but as the years go by, I look forward to someday being someplace else.

Yet when I think about moving away from Minnesota, it makes me a little sad. Despite the cold and misery of winter, there's an incredible beauty to this place that I'm homesick for when I'm away. When the snow sticks to the bare tree branches and wraps them up in a white fur coat, I stop and stare out my car window, taking it all in. When the sun comes out (anemic though it may be) and makes the icicles hanging from the roof of the house sparkle, I think I must be in some sort of fairyland. When the snowflakes are the size of my hand and melt in puddles on my face, instead of running for cover, I turn my face to the sky. And then there's the silence of a snowfall at night that causes a feeling too overwhelming for words to well up inside me. These are the things of creation that call out in praise to their Creator.

Okay, maybe I don't hate winter quite as much as I thought. But I do appreciate it when it waves goodbye for another year. And I wouldn't mind if it were just a bit shorter. And my feet are still cold. But praise God for the joy that comes with even the most unpleasant of weather.