I KNOW THE COLD, dark days of winter hold expense and work and some discomfort for us all. And so I've long since trained my eyes to spot the beauties of the season; for they provide good compensation for the cold.
For me, the moonlit nights are prime among the compensations, at least when skies are clear and generous enough to let us see them. When winter moonlight wakes me from my sleep, I rise to watch it from my windows as it spreads its glow like frozen silver upon an ice-bound creek; and reflects its light upon the trunks of snow-glazed trees along the water.
Along the roof edge of my house, icicles formed by weeks of unrelenting cold fill up with moonlight, and it shines into my eyes like crystal. When the moon's not over-bright, the stars will join the show against the darkness of the sky. After quiet moments of appreciation, I inhale the view and then go back beneath warm covers, and I sleep in peace.
THE DARKEST PERIOD of the winter night---a time few people seem to know---lies in the pre-dawn hour when the moon has set. I, an early riser, will sometimes walk outside to lean against the dark, tall trees around me; and the stars against the depth of darkness seem large and close enough that I could touch them, like apples on a tree.
Then and there, I thank God for the winter beauty. I do not curse the season; even though I'm wide awake and well aware of one true thing: It's COLD!
(Many people tell me they love all the seasons of our beautiful Ohio; except for winter. I can tell them truly; I appreciate them all.) --Rose Moore, Jan. 2021
