Winter's Fire

A friend asked me how I overcome the January blues...I admit, I don't really get January blues any more than the rest of winter-- I just hate winter, resent winter and, mostly the COLD, period. However, it affords me one small pleasure... I like it because I can relax and rest after the busy and stressful expectations of the other two winter holidays. I can do the only thing I LOVE to do in the winter time, which is hibernate. The thing that brings me joy is the fire... yes the wood burning stove in the basement has a glass front, and it stays burning almost 24/7 in the coldest part of winter. It affords the boys the opportunity to bring in the fuel and take part in keeping something alive. Leading up to winter, we all participate in the gathering of wood. We go on trips to find pinion and help unload the trailer and load the garage shelves.

The fire itself is beautiful and warm, comforting and bright. It is amazing to watch the flames dancing and twisting, some consistent, others almost ghostlike in the way they jump out and turn colors. It is amazing to consider how many lives have been sustained because of the miracle of fire. It has throughout the ages provided the heat for food and body, the light for life beyond sunset, and has been a cleansing agent on the earth.

If Fall reminds me of our first parents, Summer reminds me of My Heavenly Father, Spring of my Savior, and Winter of the Holy Ghost. The fire of the spirit is also beautiful and warm, comforting and bright. It is the sustaining of my daily walk, a warmth to my soul through the coldness of life, the Comforter in times of distress and need and a bright beacon, testifying of our Savior and our Heavenly Father and guiding my decisions.

So I grab some good books and the scriptures and gather my family around me, and all of us around the fire, and I read to them words that I hope will shape their attitudes and their futures, and help them discover each one's life's mission. I am humbled as I consider though how awful and bitter the cold, I am provided a warm home with those I love most around me. In this small way, I treasure this time of the year, and how it forces me to pull in and see the blessings that are immediately around me.