It’s December 1, and my first post in a fairly long time.  I have missed the act of sharing small insights the Lord has shared with me, with you and others.

In a timespan that started on October 28, I can now count two family surgeries, two-out-of-three craft shows, and one major holiday as “in the past.”  Whew!  I had really underestimated the emotional and physical toll all that would take.

But today, December 1, feels different.  After a week or so of brutal winds, considerable snowfall and walkways covered with ice, the sun is shining and it is relatively warm to sit outside.  This California-Arizona sunshine girl is thoroughy enjoying what heat can creep through a midweight sweatshirt and sweatpants on this wonderful bright afternoon.

I am sitting on the front garden deck.  A few birds swing by to pay their respects and share their songs…then they pause to gauge how much birdseed remains in the feeder before moving on to nearby pine branches.

My garden blooms do not sit with me, of course.

And the garden sign is wrapped with Christmas lights, not greenery.  But no matter.  Even without glorious blooms and bright colors, this remains a garden.  Dormant roots rest before vigorously pursuing their production again in a few months.  Each brown stalk reminds me of a green one yet to come.  My snow-covered containers are tubs filled with a hopeful future, each one waiting for its season to transform anew into an object of beauty.

Although it is daytime, I hear the refrain of “Silent night, holy night; all is calm, all is bright,” run through my mind.

It occurs to me that sometimes as we sit in the dormant garden of our lives, we most clearly see, and most deeply appreciate, our Savior, Comforter and Encourager.

Jesus always sees our snow-covered brown stalks as promises of the next season to come, of new life and new vigor, new glory and new strength.

Heavenly peace.  I may not be sleeping, but I can certainly sense it all around me…

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”   (Rom. 15:13)