It is the end of the day here in Bull Valley, Illinois. A Friday. In January. And it is frigid
as the sun goes away for another day. I wonder what it is like to be homeless in this freezing weather. The thought itself makes me feel colder.
I guess those who have to be out in the cold develop a kind of numbness to it all –the ice, the snow, the barren trees and bushes. Even the sparrows, like the homeless, are hunched up somewhere saving their strength.
Light seems to be on a holiday. The days are short and even daytime is muffled by blankets of clouds.
If I think about it too long I begin to get sad. Maybe, you do, too. I miss the light and the warmth of spring and summer. But I guess if we had sunshine and pleasant breezes all the time, we would take it all for granted. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.
The snowbirds are in Florida and Arizona for the winter. I think they miss something by not being with us here and not seeing our houses and cars dusted with snow as fine and white as powdered sugar. However, some people cannot bear these winters. I have a good friend who simply has to fly south when the days get shorter. She suffers with disthymia, or seasonal affective disorder.
Mmmm…. Lack of light can make you sick. There is a sermon in there somewhere but it is late (for me) almost 9:30 PM. Maybe you can find it. Tomorrow will come with all its bright promise and another day will speak in its own way out of the cold darkness.
F