The Gift Of Winter
By mcscraic
- 616 reads
The Gift Of Winter
By Paul McCann
When winter came men were seen wearing donkey jackets and women wore their scarfs . Children had mitten and gloves and the people of Ardoyne faced the cold days together and did what they had to do . Looking at winter from a different perspective there were gifts that the winter brought into our lives and it was time for us to appreciate some of the simple things in our lives , like mist that appeared from our mouths as the warmth of our breath kissed the cold air of winter .
A bowl warm soup that tasted like liquid sunshine on a cold dark winters day and it helped us slip into another place away as we sipped away the moment before the fire , as we felt the love of those around us wrap up the evening in a soft family quilt .
Looking out the window at the frost and snow was like the setting of a scene in a living fairyland . Hearing the coughs and sneezes , of the whole house was like being part of a musical in winters serenade.
Lying underneath woollen blankets in freezing temperatures was like touching paradise before sleep took us away to dreamtime .
Winter gave us time to reflect on what was the past and allowed us time to discover the future . We always were able to adjust to the changes around us when winter came .Some of the older folk really felt the cold and suffered pain in their joints which stoke from them the value of this time of year .
When winter came some of us subconsciously grew an extra skin to help us cope with the challenges that we had to face in the below zero conditions .Every challenge opened new ways to find encouragement and hope . Everyone knew that there would always be an end to the cold .
The snowy path was a lonely path but now and then what a joy it was to feel a warm hand take you away walking through an icy winters day .There’s nothing like a friend who could make us laugh . Winters chill reminds us of our need to stay connected with others . As a community the people of Ardoyne faced the winters together . The blizzards came and went and we say salt and grit thrown from trucks to dissolve the hard slush and ice to allow traffic to get through . We saw God’s white letter fall down upon our streets with a promise of his love to always see us through the coldest of times to a new light of days to come ,
.
- Log in to post comments
Comments
A helpful reminder in many
A helpful reminder in many ways. Thank you. Rhiannon
- Log in to post comments
Memories of how important it
Memories of how important it is to have those human connections. Also the reminder of helpful neighbourly people.
Very much enjoyed.
Jenny.
- Log in to post comments
The warmth of family and
The warmth of family and friends on even the coldest days...this lovely piece is our Facebook and X Pick of the Day!
Picture by nclm, free to use at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kolding_Cemetery,_snowy,_through...
- Log in to post comments
You've painted a great word
You've painted a great word picture here - congratulations on the golden cherries Paul!
- Log in to post comments
we used to pretend we were
we used to pretend we were dragons and our breath was smoke when it came out as steam :0) I enjoyed your memories very much
- Log in to post comments