There is something about...

that first snowfall that stays.

I dread it. I wish with all my entire mind and heart that it will not come. I beg, I plead, I hope that it doesn't come till January. But it doesn't help. It comes when it wills. And it has come and it seems it is going to stay.

I don't think all this snow is going to go away soon.

So I got to thinking, why do I dread it so?

What is it about that first snowfall that really bugs me...besides the driving in it?

And I thought. When winter comes I have to let go of the hope that my favorite seasons are still here....spring, summer and fall. When winter comes there is no more planting, or growing or harvesting. It is over.

Winter is the end of all that.

Winter is the end of the warm days and evenings when you can just run outside with one layer of clothing and simple shoes.

Winter is the end of getting into the car, starting it and driving off quickly.

Winter needs more thought and preparation. Winter is cold and dark.

But God bless the chinooks He sends, for without them there would be no hope.

The days of bone chilling below zero temperatures would be long and endless without them. I am so very glad for those nice warm winds that unthaw us and give us hope.

Aren't you?