I think I’ve misjudged winter. I’m someone who can never get warm, so winter has always seemed like an endurance test to me. Especially frosty mornings when you can’t just hop in the car and go, first you have to deice the windows in the biting cold. That’s not much fun.
But one frosty morning I noticed some fallen leaves in the gutter and bent down for a closer look. I was captivated by what I saw. I grabbed my camera and, freezing as it was, the beauty I was seeing through the lens made the cold seem incidental. It was a miniature world of wonder.
Hoar frost adds another of layer of loveliness to the winter landscape. Frost has a beauty of its own … its delicate branching patterns of ice crystals add magic and turn the ordinary into something quite extraordinary.
Because of its crystalline structure, it scatters the light in many directions, which is why it appears white even though each crystal is translucent.
The name ‘hoar’ comes from an Old English adjective that means "showing signs of old age"; in this context it refers to the frost making plant material look like it has white hair, and therein lies the magic!
But one frosty morning I noticed some fallen leaves in the gutter and bent down for a closer look. I was captivated by what I saw. I grabbed my camera and, freezing as it was, the beauty I was seeing through the lens made the cold seem incidental. It was a miniature world of wonder.
Hoar frost adds another of layer of loveliness to the winter landscape. Frost has a beauty of its own … its delicate branching patterns of ice crystals add magic and turn the ordinary into something quite extraordinary.
Because of its crystalline structure, it scatters the light in many directions, which is why it appears white even though each crystal is translucent.
The name ‘hoar’ comes from an Old English adjective that means "showing signs of old age"; in this context it refers to the frost making plant material look like it has white hair, and therein lies the magic!
Beauty is always there if we have the eyes to see it. I hope these images give you a taste of the beauty that we so easily pass by or crush underfoot in the busyness of living.
I’m continuing to wander through the book of Romans and this week Ch12:17 made me think about winter, of the beauty that’s hidden beneath a bleak and biting landscape. Peterson translates it, “See the beauty in everyone” … not just the obviously kind, caring and generous people, but the cold and distant, the prickly and difficult-to-get-along-with and those who think and believe very differently to me.
That’s not an easy call. It requires me to get closer and look deeper. To take the time to listen and be involved so I can see beyond the obvious and external. To discover what is underneath … in the heart.
I’m continuing to wander through the book of Romans and this week Ch12:17 made me think about winter, of the beauty that’s hidden beneath a bleak and biting landscape. Peterson translates it, “See the beauty in everyone” … not just the obviously kind, caring and generous people, but the cold and distant, the prickly and difficult-to-get-along-with and those who think and believe very differently to me.
That’s not an easy call. It requires me to get closer and look deeper. To take the time to listen and be involved so I can see beyond the obvious and external. To discover what is underneath … in the heart.
So often what we think determines what we see. When I think of winter as cold, miserable and something to be endured, I fail to see the beauty it holds … the tracery and symmetry of trees, hidden by leaves in summer … the gentle, mellow light that deepens colours and softens the landscape … the mystery of mist and the glory of frost.
How true of life. The ‘filters’ of my judgements and preconceived ideas, my blind spots and too hasty assumptions and even my beliefs, can obscure my view of others. What I think about them determines what I see.
The next few verses go on to call me to let go of judgements; they are not my prerogative. It’s not up to me to decide if someone is worthy but to endeavour to see everyone as God sees them. I have no way of knowing what they are struggling with or what has brought them to this point in life.
How true of life. The ‘filters’ of my judgements and preconceived ideas, my blind spots and too hasty assumptions and even my beliefs, can obscure my view of others. What I think about them determines what I see.
The next few verses go on to call me to let go of judgements; they are not my prerogative. It’s not up to me to decide if someone is worthy but to endeavour to see everyone as God sees them. I have no way of knowing what they are struggling with or what has brought them to this point in life.
My paternal grandmother was one of six children. Soon after she married, her mother disappeared and her father was left with four children at home. He worked long hours in his boot making shop, trying to make ends meet. There was no other choice but for grandma to take in her three brothers and younger sister and bring them all up. She went on to have children of her own but sadly three of her four children died. I was told that as a young woman she was fun loving and the life of the party but the grandma I met was miserly and quite bitter about life. Only as an adult did I understand. She had a good heart but life had taken its toll.
This week I’ve been challenged to look long and hard at the ‘filters’ through which I view the world … the ‘filters’ that can distort the way I see others. Beauty doesn’t always look like the softness of spring or the vibrancy of autumn; sometimes it looks tough and harsh like the faces of winter … courage, perseverance and endurance.
It’s not my place to judge. I'm only called to love and be open to finding the beauty in others.
This week I’ve been challenged to look long and hard at the ‘filters’ through which I view the world … the ‘filters’ that can distort the way I see others. Beauty doesn’t always look like the softness of spring or the vibrancy of autumn; sometimes it looks tough and harsh like the faces of winter … courage, perseverance and endurance.
It’s not my place to judge. I'm only called to love and be open to finding the beauty in others.
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