Remembering Cold Days

When our children were in Elementary and Middle school, we lived on a 70 acres farm. We enjoyed the summer swimming in the pond and baling hay. The Spring was a time when calves would be born and they gave great joy to us as we watched they leap about in the tall grass. The Fall was usually when we went for hayrides and had bon fires. Winter everything would become cold and gray: so this became a time when we would make a fire in the fire place and enjoy bowls of popcorn,movies and cups of hot chocolate.

I realize one of the reasons I liked winter on the farm was that our whole family spend time together just enjoying each others company. We learned about what the children liked best about whatever they were doing or what they wished that did not happen during their days at school. We learned that the boys were eager to feed the cows in the winter because they got to drive the truck in the field.

One these winter days, the children were together not scattered about doing their own thing as they were in the Spring,Summer and Fall. The winter days were mine to watch them inner act with each other as they played games,colored or just talked to each other. I got to see glimpses of them in the things they chose to read or whatever movie they chose to watch.

In the winter,I felt as if they were all mine to enjoy and learn about as we spent time around the fireplace. This was God's gift to me: being able to be apart of their lives and watching the spend time with each other laughing about what happened while feeding the cows or sharing their pain over what someone said to them at school.

On cold days, I still can hear their laughter and teasing each other. I remember the snuggling and the talking before bedtime.

If your children are still at home,please take the time on these cold winter days to get to know them. Spend time playing games,telling stories and snuggling because before you know it, they are grown and have families of their own or have moved far away