BLESSINGS IN A BLIZZARD

Winters before the farm

As I sit down to write this, I am still trying to thaw out after completing the nightly farm chores in the midst of a blizzard. For those of you who know me, know that I am not a play in the snow enjoy the winter kind of gal. Matter of fact, until this winter, you could find me inside, dressed in thermals, seated next to the fireplace, looking out the window at the winter wonderland. If I had the choice to stay home rather than face the elements, I was cozy in my house. I would hibernate like a bear if it were possible. Ok. you get it, I loathe winter, the cold and snow. 

Living in New England

So here is the thing. I live in New England. It’s home to the four seasons; spring, summer, fall, and the dreaded winter. I truly enjoy each of the other three seasons. Spring is my favorite. I love the new life that it brings, as well as the color and smells that arrive as the plants, flowers, and trees awaken from their slumber. I love the summer and the warmth that it brings along with beautiful nights under the stars. I enjoy the beauty of fall as nature paints vibrant colors along its canvas of rolling hills and valleys.  But winter is a season that I would gladly skip. It brings cold, ice, snow, and blizzards such as today.

Learning on the farm

Why am I telling you about my loathe of winter you ask? Well, last year we bought a farm and this is the first winter we have had animals on it. Matter of fact, this is the first winter that we have ever had farm animals. I knew there would be a learning curve with each species of animals and even expected each season to have challenges. That is why I really hoped for a mild winter. You know, a warmer season than normal with the occasional snow flurry.  Well, mother nature had something else in store. She decided to give us a brutal winter. A winter where the temperatures are so cold, it has reached many degrees below zero with multiple snow storms.

Missed Blessings

I find myself daydreaming fairly often of warmer places. Places that never dip below freezing, where I don’t need heated water troughs. Places where the sunshines 95% of the year and the other 5% of the year are rainy days. I dream about warmer places as I carry buckets of fresh unfrozen water to replace the frozen ones as my hands and feet burn from the cold underneath boots and multiple layers of socks and gloves.

I dream of these warmer places, but they remain a dream or at least a vacation destination. You see, my home is with my family in New England with four seasons. As I go outside each time to complete the farm chores in the bitter cold and snow, I sometimes forget to be grateful. I forget to be grateful that though it’s bitterly cold outside and the wind is blowing the snow so hard that it hurts; when my barn chores are complete, I get to go inside to a warm house with smiling faces from the people I love and who love me in return. I get greeted with hugs from my children because even though I was only outside for one hour, they still missed me. These moments and hidden blessings become the ones most cherished and remembered as the years fade.

Sometimes, we can forget to be grateful for the many blessings that we have. We are too busy dreaming about what we wish we had or what someone else has and the blessing slips away.

In all things, remember that sometimes our blessings are disguised as storms, in moments where we least expect them.