The Stubbornness of Winter

For the most part, winter this year has been mild here in Canada. Temperatures have been above normal and our snow has been coming in spurts of a few inches here and there. During the last two weeks of February, we enjoyed sunny days and spring-like temperatures. Then, like a slap in the face, the frigid temperatures returned accompanied by a blizzard blanketing the area in over a foot of snow.

Even my ski-enthusiast son proclaimed, "Can't the snow just go away?"

Upon seeing that it was minus 19 Celsius (windchill even colder) this morning, I commented to my husband that if I had been an early settler in Canada, I think I would have died that first winter…and I would have been glad to escape the frigid temperatures.

Amidst the grumbling and complaining, however, I think an extended winter comes at an ideal time. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It's typically a time when people give up things. I suppose warmth and comfort are good things to give up for Lent, even for a short time.

Besides, the cold, sub-zero temperatures cannot compete against our roaring wood stove. I think I'll recite my rosary next to the wood stove this morning…

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach