Yesterday marked the midpoint between Winter and Spring. Spring will be here in 45 days, no matter what the Groundhog says. We can feel the days starting to get longer—we know the sun is setting a bit later each day—and yet we can feel our bones longing for the endless days of summer, when we stay up long past our bedtimes making s’mores and catching fireflies.
It’s this time of year that the winter doldrums start to hit. The thick snow that falls one weekend melts away several days later, taking our winter playground away. The sky is grey and cloudy, making us want to cry tears with every raindrop that falls. We start itching for warmer weather and sometimes forget the beauty that exists right before our eyes.
Every time about this year, Modern Mrs Darcy, taking a hint from Barbara Brown Taylor, invites readers to share “What’s Saving Your Life Right Now?” I love the practice of listing ten things giving me life in these dreary late-winter moments, so here we go … ten things saving my life right now.
Homemade Sourdough Bread
Not long after we moved into our house, a neighbor won my heart when she brought me the most delicious loaf of homemade sourdough filled with sweet black walnuts. She walked it up to my door with a jar of fig jam and a hunk of really good blue cheese and we’ve been friends ever since.
The following winter, I decided I should try again to make sourdough bread. I tried to make sourdough bread several times when we lived in Atlanta, but every time was a flop. My friend gave me books to read, patiently answered all of my questions, encouraged me when my dough failed to rise, and even joined me in eating the flat, dense sourdough I had made. It took me six months, but I finally made a good loaf of sourdough bread (and danced around the kitchen like a loon the first time it happened). Now, five years later, bread-making day is one of my favorite days each week.
Sharing Meals
Last week, we had dinner at our friends’ house. That same friend that brought me homemade sourdough bread loves me so much she makes us shrimp & grits. On Sunday, the yard was filled with neighbor kids, shoveling sidewalks and digging tunnels in seven-feet mounds of snow. Later that day, a different neighbor invited us over for chicken pot pie. This weekend, we’ll have dinner at three different houses, to celebrate the end of the week, a birthday, and the kids’ reading all of Harry Potter. There’s something holy about joining together over a meal. It’s been nearly two years without sharing regular meals with one another, and I’m beyond thankful that it’s possible once again.
Church
I am so grateful to be part of a healthy, thriving church community. At the end of last year, we received a new pastor, and her gentle, yet powerful spirit is filling my heart and mind full of energy and excitement about the future of the church. We found our church just a year before the pandemic and we missed it more than anything else during the pandemic shut down. While worship still doesn’t look like it did in 2019, [maybe it never will?] being able to worship together is giving me so much life right now.
Encouragement
Over time, as David and I began to create community here in Massachusetts, people have begun to see our gifts and are encouraging us to use them. Gifts of hospitality, leadership, music, and writing; gifts that have been sitting unused for far too long. The hardest part of moving some place new is that no one knows you, and it can be hard at times to offer up our gifts to people we don’t know. We’ve both been invited to participate in leadership positions at church, and having someone really see our gifts and invite their usage is a true gift to us.
Lots of Layers
There was a time when getting outside in the winter was something I would never dream of doing. Then I learned that nature is God’s gift for helping us feel grounded, no matter what the weather. “There’s no such thing as bad weather,” as the Scandinavians say. It may be the midpoint between Winter and Spring, but freezing temperatures will be here for much longer than 45 days. Last year I invested in silk long underwear, and they are my favorite splurge purchase ever. This year I bought hand and feet warmers. With long underwear, good snow pants, and pocket warmers, there’s no excuse to stay indoors. The more we can be outside, the happier everyone is.
Beaches
We live in close proximity to more beaches than I can count on both hands. Just yesterday we piled on all of our layers and headed to Plum Island, where we saw sand and snow mixed together in such a way that it looked like nature’s pudding parfait. The ocean is more healing than anything I’ve ever experienced, and sitting on the shore never, ever gets old.
Homeschool
It is an honor and a privilege to be able to stay home and educate my kids. Every single day I learn something new from them. They teach me as much as I teach them, if not more. I know homeschooling is not the right choice for everyone, but leading them and learning alongside them is one of the very best parts of the cold and dreary days of winter.
Health
In a time where health is uncertain, I’m grateful that we have remained healthy through the many pandemic. We’ve fought a cold or two, but we’ve had no major illness. I am not the best mother—or wife—to sick people, so the more healthy days we can have, the better I feel.
Older Kids
The fact that my kids are seven and nine and not two and four is absolutely saving my life right now. I loved my babies, but there’s never a day goes by that I wish my kids were little again. We’ve reached a beautiful moment in parenting and I’d like to keep them this age for a little longer, I think.
My Husband
Our anniversary is in February, and David is always one of my favorite things about the month. He adores me. He thinks I’m gorgeous and can’t stay away from my body. He loves the way my mind never stops challenging him. He challenges me—gently— and he makes me a better me.
Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments below: what’s saving your life right now?
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