If you're lolling in the sunshine at this very moment, this article isn't for you. This piece is about winter. It's about snow and ice and slush and sleet. The kind that adds precious minutes to your morning routine, that splatters your new skirt, that makes you want to be a complete hermit until Springtime.
Last winter, I told my kids I wanted to be like a bear and hibernate. I hated winter. I raged against the grey-toned skies, the mounds of snow, the unbearable cold. But this year, I have resolved to change my winter-woe ways. Why? Because one of my children asked a very important question:
"Why did God make winter?" he asked, as we drove to school.
Hmmmmm… Funny, I'd never thought about God being part of the frigid equation. In the blissful summertime, I thanked God joyously at each golden minute for sending us that enchanted season. But as winter moved in, my attitude sure changed. Of course, God was responsible for bringing winter, but I always viewed it as a sort of punishment. My son's question, though, brought me up short. Why did God bring winter each year? The punishing view of winter suddenly seemed ridiculous. Surely, our kind, loving God did not intend to punish us each year, from roughly December through April. Perhaps He was giving us a gift instead, wrapped in white, tied with a below-zero ribbon.
So with that viewpoint in mind, here are some thoughts on the gifts of winter.
Stop and Smell the Snowflakes
Beauty abounds during winter. It's a different beauty than the lush spread of summer, but its beauty is indisputable. The illuminated sky on a winter night reflects the spotless snow for miles on end, producing an almost ethereal glow. Close examination of the humble snowflake reveals its incomprehensible intricacy -- it is a pattern within a pattern, created by omnipotent Genius for our viewing pleasure. And face it -- snow could have been black, grey, or brown, with utterly different results. The pure white is definitely uplifting.
Be a Kid Again
Remember when you were a kid and made snow angels? Winter offers a chance for people of all ages to have fun and live life a little, in a myriad of ways. In the privacy of your backyard, you have the opportunity to recapture a small taste of reckless, childhood fun. Snow is free, it's abundant, and you don't have to worry about using it up -- it's a renewable resource! Family activities involving snow abound, and there's nothing quite like the memory of a high energy snowman-building project, followed by some hot cocoa.
Exercise
Perhaps it's because of the slowing down most of us do when winter arrives, that God, in His wisdom, gave us rich opportunities for exercise and physical fitness -- and they're not necessarily optional. Shoveling is a great way to get a workout, and even walking through the resistant snow affords a fitness opportunity. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and evidently He knows how those hot chocolate calories add up. So instead of pressuring us into buying a gym membership, He gives us free exercise nearly every day!
Slow Down
There's no question that winter weather slows us down. If not physically, it detains us with extra minutes bundling up the kids, brushing off the car, or crawling down an unplowed street at 10 mph. In our on-the-go lifestyles, this kind of slowing down is a nuisance, a hassle, a downright menace. Yet, is it really so bad? If the kids get to school a couple minutes late, or you have 15 fewer minutes to shop, is that really such a tragedy? The expression "chilled out" comes to mind, and there's no better time to be "chilled" than when the thermometer drops.
A Reality Check
It's not so bad to have to acquiesce to a power greater than ourselves for a few months a year. Sure, it's easier not to deal with snow, but there's an important life-lesson that we can internalize when God ups the ante on our every day routines. We are not invincible, we are not all-powerful. Despite the huge advances we have made in technology, in medicine, and all across the board, we still are immobilized when five inches of snow is dumped down from the heavens. Nothing wrong with pondering our frail humanity for a little while, especially when we follow it through to its logical conclusion: God, bearer of the winter weather and every other aspect of our lives, is All Powerful, and it's about time we submit ourselves to His will!
Prayer
Is it just me, or do we all do more praying in the winter, on a daily basis, than in any other season? While I've heard people pray that a summer day's temperature not exceed 78 degrees, my prayers during wintertime are much more heartfelt. As in: "Please God, protect my car from skidding." "Please don't let me fall on this ice!" "Please put an extra dosage of compassion in the carpool supervisor when I come ten minutes late because of weather delays!" All this prayer can't be bad, right? It is interesting to note that while winter is essentially a "dead" season, it sets the stage for the vitality and bounty of spring and summer. Where do all these whispered winter prayers go? Surely, to a good place, with numerous, miraculous results.
To tell you the truth, I couldn't see past the bleak, frigid, unapproachable face of winter until I opened my mind to its hidden blessings. I hope that this year, winter will be a more positive experience for me and my family. A time to reflect, a time to bond, a time to nourish the latent spiritual potential that begs to be ignited -- and what better inspiration than a good snowball fight?
Click here to read another Winter perspective, "Snow: The Dark Side."
(13) Anonymous, October 22, 2009 2:25 AM
thanks
I believe the author is referring to her pre-Aliyah, Cleveland winters, I don't think Yerushalayim lends itself to too many snowy days. I very much appreciate all the new positive thoughts I can try to program into my head as I brace myself for winter. I think I will print this out, laminate it and stick it on my fridge.
(12) Anonymous, October 21, 2009 12:32 AM
WInter
I love winter. I always wanted to know why Hashem made hot, humid days. Give me snow any time.
(11) Anonymous, October 20, 2009 11:13 PM
Great Attitude
In school, we recently did a paper on attitude. This would fit in very well. Usually, I look at winter with a bad attitude and cant wait for it to end. I hope this article will change my perspective on the long, cold winter months! Thanks for a great article!
(10) r shields, October 20, 2009 3:34 PM
doesn't the author live in Israel?
(9) Chana O., December 20, 2005 12:00 AM
You Said It!
You amaze me with your refreshing insights on ordinary life.
(8) Bela, December 28, 2004 12:00 AM
I love the winter
It was quality time for us. I remember jumping out of bed and shaking the whole house awake in the morning to watch that beautiful white world of ours.
In the afternoon we would walk to the communal park all the children with our ever energetic Mummy, bundled up warmly and sledge the life out of us.
On the way back home, as a compensation for our frozen toes, we would buy some delicious cookies and munch on them till we arrived safely home to cozily creep under the warm blanket.
So... there's really loads of fun out there in the snow. It all depends on the attitude!
(7) Anonymous, December 28, 2004 12:00 AM
Thankyou so much. I view even our Australian winter somewhat negatively. This article will help me rethink that attitude and count the blessings of each winter day.
(6) Rosally Saltsman, December 27, 2004 12:00 AM
Let it Snow
I grew up in Montreal. Enough said. I live in the center of Israel. Snow lies 4 hours north a few weeks a year and I usually don't get to it. If it snows in Jerusalem, it's an easy hour drive except that when it snows in Jerusalem, the city is closed, no one can get in, no one can get out. Although I used to hate the six months of winter that Canadians are blessed with, I do so miss the snow and I celebrate when rain turns to ice crystals (not yet this year). I wouldn't trade my semi-tropical paradise for six months of snow but I do miss watching it fall outside my window.
(5) Anonymous, December 27, 2004 12:00 AM
Thank you for the discussions on snow. Here's more:
When I was a child, my father, who was seldom available to us, was always
home when there was a lot of snow. I remember his joy when we played
together building snowmen, and, when the shoveling left high mounds, cutting caves into the mounds. My father would light a candle inside the cave causing the snow to melt a little and to form a strong ice 'igloo' which was comfortable inside. It
was joyful to get tired and wet together,come into the house, and have something warm to eat or drink.
Today, sixtysome years later, I still love winter wet or dry, snow fresh
or old and dirty, and even the cold. I'm conditioned to feeling good because of a time shared with laughter and love.
Pesya Bernstein
(4) Anonymous, December 27, 2004 12:00 AM
Snow represents Achdus -unity
As I read this article, my thoughts brought me back to something my mother always says regarding snow. What would one snowflake do? Nothing really, but when millions upon millions, each a different form, join together and fall from the heavens, they can have an impact on our lives. The same holds true for Klal Yisrael- one Jew can accomplish but there is no comparison when all Jews, no matter what level, join together. When we are all b'achdus, the impact that we can have on our world is indescribable. Let us all join together just like the snow and together our actions will impact the world and we will soon be together in Yerushalayim. Thanks again for a great article!
(3) Denise, December 26, 2004 12:00 AM
Thanks for flipping my perspective
I do see the beauty of winter but grumble that it keeps me housebound. Thank you for pointing out that it comes from G-d and is therefore good.
(2) Rachel Glyn, December 26, 2004 12:00 AM
Blessings of Pain
Nature needs winter in order to serve ecological purposes. That is true. But it doesn't make me very happy about winter. I see it more as the sort of thing that makes me appreciate summer a lot more, since I know what the alternative is. After you have been sick, you really appreciate good health so much more. I don't share Riva's view of shoveling snow. Many people who are not in condition die from heart attacks brought on by shoveling snow. Many people die from the cold, too, and there are the people who are killed in car accidents because of icy roads. In some places, the dead can't be buried because the ground is too frozen. (I wonder if their families are anenim all winter?) Kids like the snow days off from school unless if they have to make up the days in June!
Speaking as someone who has osteoporosis (and I urge all women reading this to exercise, take calcium, and get their bones scanned), the ice scares me the way the Scarecrow (in the Wizard of Oz) was scared of fire.
But the up side is that every day of winter brings us one day closer to spring and summer! And when it's hot and steamy in summer, I say "Aaah!"
(1) ilana keilson, December 26, 2004 12:00 AM
other winter point
Don't forget that, if not for winter, the glory and joy of spring might well go unappreciated.