It’s still winter, and most of our fun holidays are over. Valentine’s Day, with its roses and chocolates and professions of love, was a couple weeks ago. And the feasting, dancing and intemperate drinking of Mardi Gras won’t be back for another eleven-and-a-half months.
For those of you who celebrate Chinese New Year, the frantic travel, little red envelopes, and endless feasting have come to an end.
It looks like we’re in for a bit of a dry spell. Spring won’t officially arrive until March 20th. And we won’t be celebrating Easter with its colored eggs, baby chicks and Resurrection until April 5th.
So here we are, caught in this downtime of late winter, covered over with clouds and moss and wrinkled brows if not snowbanks and icicles. For Christians, this is the solemn season of Lent, a time for prayer, penance, self-denial, and almsgiving. A few days ago on Ash Wednesday, some of us walked around with a smudge of ashes on our foreheads to remind ourselves that: “Thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.”
Not a happy thought.
And yet, we writers have to be concerned with all of life, the highs and lows and in-betweens. We can’t always write about our fun-filled trip or that fantastic review of our novel or the wedding or graduation of a child or grandchild. (That’s what Facebook is for.)
Today, in recognition of the cold, solemn, gloomy days of late winter, I’d like to share with you the words of Job, a man who didn’t hesitate to complain about his troubles and the hardships of life. Here he is on one of his many bad days:
Is not life on earth a drudgery,
its days like those of a hireling?
Like a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for wages,
So I have been assigned months of futility,
and troubled nights have been counted off for me.
When I lie down I say, “When shall I arise?”
then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with worms and scabs;
my skin cracks and festers;
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
my eye will not see happiness again. (Job 7:1-7, New American Bible)
For the better part of forty-two chapters, Job laments his troubles and argues with his friends and with God. Finally, near the end of the book, God speaks to him. He tells Job to gird up his loins like a man. “Where were you when I founded the earth?” God asks. “Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning?” (Job 38:3, 4, 12)
Like many of our favorite tales, Job’s story has a happy ending. After seeing God with his own eyes, he disowns what he said and repents in dust and ashes. God forgives him and gives him twice as much as he had before. By the end of Job’s very long life, he has thousands of sheep, camels, oxen, and she-asses, not to mention seven sons and three beautiful daughters.
If you’ve ever suffered from insomnia or skin problems or felt unhappy about the brevity of life, Job’s lament may strike a chord with you. Maybe you hang around people who grumble and gripe a lot. But in case the people you know hesitate to talk about the negative side of life and you feel alone with your troubles, remember, you can always read the Book of Job.
And don’t forget, spring is just around the corner.
P.S. — I’m feeling fine. I just thought this may fit the season, especially for those of you who’ve had a long, hard winter.
I wish we had a bit of winter here. It has rained only once this year. The soil is dry and cracking and the heat is giving me headache. I am running away to Japan to see the Sakura blooming in April. I hope my visa request will be approved. 😀
Wish me luck! XD
I’m surprised you’ve had so little rain. Best of luck in getting your visa to visit Japan. The weather should be nice there in April.
Spring is late here too…today it even snowed! That is something very rare in North Germany, especially in March. I am really looking forward for some sunshine and greenery
Actually, Timo, this winter has been cold in snowy in most of the US this year, it has been warmer than usual on the West Coast. Yesterday I drove across the Cascade Mts., and it looked like July or Aug.–hardly any snow on the rocky peaks on either side of me. It was kind of sad. Next week I ask the question: Should I feel guilt for enjoying our warm winter so much when much of the country is suffering?
No, you should NOT feel guilty for enjoying our good weather, Nicki. I know the East enjoys its sun while we are suffering in rain, wind, and cold. That’s beside the point, though. We don’t need to feel guilty for what the weather gods bestow on us. It’s our DUTY to enjoy good weather when we get it.
Barb, I’m in the Tri-cities right now, doing my duty by enjoying the beautiful, warm weather. We had a lovely walk along the Columbia River yesterday. I had to tie my jacket around my waist.
On Barbara’s last post, I saw a comment excerpt that might give you a smile:
“I absolutely loved Tiger tail soup. So richly descriptive and well written. It’s the kind of book I will revisit and will no doubt pick up new images from the writing that I missed the first time. Thanks for the recommendation!”
https://silverinthebarn.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/plantation-2/comment-page-1/#comment-8732
Thank you, Nancy. I did miss that comment. I really appreciate Barbara’s recommendation on her blog, and I’m so happy that Leanne liked Tiger Tail Soup.
God is good all of the time and wonderful in so many ways. I’m thankful that in Christ the ending is blessed even though some seasons of life are extremely painful. Thanks Nicki!
Jeffrey, thanks for stopping by and thank you for your comments.
Here it’s just coming to the end of summer — long hot days are gradually turning into glorious crisp mornings. Strangely, for someone who grew up in OUR WA (that’s Western Australia to your northern hemisphere people) where the summer temperatures can go to 47 degrees celsius, I now loathe the heat and glory in Tasmania’s cooler weather.
But I did live in Germany for three years, so I remember well what the end of winter was like with all those grey days. Hang in there, Nicki, spring will come!
Tasmania must be very pleasant and cool. We lived in Port Vila, Vanuatu for three years, and the temperature there was nice all year long. I can’t imagine surviving 47 degrees celsius.
Next weekend we can celebrate the arrival of daylight saving’s time! A true harbinger of spring.
Good! I’m not an early riser, so I appreciate the longer afternoon hours. More time to take a walk.
Nice to know that, Nicki. I’m a night owl, and morning for me doesn’t come until nine or ten a.m. I feel a little guilty for that, so I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I got up early when I had to. Now I can choose my hours.
I enjoyed your post!! However, I kind of feel the exact opposite. I am enjoying the cool breeze and weather of winter. In Taiwan, the winter weather is amazing where I live – the perfect weather that makes you want to get out and explore. It is still cool here but I am not looking forward to the unbearable heat that is just around the corner.
I know how you feel, Constance. When we lived in the Philippines, April and May were hard to bear. Feb. was the best month.
In the winter, when I am freed from my outside pursuits like gardening, I remind myself when I get fed up with the rain, cold and dark, that this is time given to me to do my art.
A good plan, Barb. What I miss, though, are my afternoon walks. On the shortest days, I fool around too long and then find to my disappointment that it’s already dark. Love those long days of summer.
Yes, it does get dark VERY early in Dec and January, Nicki. We even had some February days so dark I turned the lights on at 2:30–the ones I usually turn on for evenings. Out here near the coast, our clouds can be particularly thick. Fog at the beaches can be a problem, too. Often when it’s sunny in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, it will be fogged in at the beaches–I’m thankful that we are 17 miles inland and usually escape such all day fog. I think I dislike foggy days more than extremely rainy days. You can tell I am not one of those people who “never complains:” my principal once told me I “should give workshops in Whining!!”
Strangely enough, my daughter who lives in Eastern Washington complains about fog. You wouldn’t think it would get foggy there. She worries about driving in the fog.
Fog is VERY scary to drive in!!
Wow, Nicki. Your words are particularly meaningful on this dreary ice-encased Sunday in which I’ve been feeling a bit blue. I love that you ended this post with a shot of a crocus. They always seem to appear just in the nick of time – just when you are sure that winter is never going to end. I went out to my garage today and on the way back could hardly believe that a clump is thriving although completely covered in ice. I’m not worried, like us, it will survive. Thank you for such a lovely post.
The usual winter challenges in WA are the clouds, the rain, and the short days. This year we’ve had unseasonably warm weather, but in Dec. the sun still went down at 4:30. The Seattle Times recently had an article about how far north we actually are. For example, about 72 percent of Canadians live south of the border between WA and British Columbia. Even the capital of BC is south of many Washingtonians. Tonight the sun will set at 5:54 pm. A big improvement!
By the way, my neighbors’ crocuses look fantastic, and even my untended crocuses have improved since that first tentative shoot.
The Book of Job is a wonderful way to put things into perspective. As far as hanging out with people who grumble and complain, I can’t. I’ve cut ties with people with that attitude. The sad part was, they really didn’t have anything to complain about. Lovely post, Nicki.
I’m trying to think of people I’ve known who like to grumble and complain–and I’m sure I must have known some–but no one comes to mind. I guess most people try to be cheerful for the sake of good company. My dad was an extreme example of someone who didn’t like to complain. Even during the year when he was dying from lung cancer, I never heard him complain.
My mother is the same, Nicki. I’ve never heard her complain..ever.
Job had a time of it, didn’t he? I’ve had enough of the cold and snow, but I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near to the suffering of Job! Still, I’m happy spring is sneaking around the corner.
To make matters worse for poor Job, his friends accuse him of causing his own suffering. He must have done something evil otherwise none of it would have happened. It’s an outdated concept, but even today some people use it.
I was just watching more pictures of snow on the news. It looks terrible. I hope it will be over soon.
I wrote about cranky, complaining people today too. Mine was the result of a disastrous dinner but perhaps it’s the time of year that makes folks more whiney. We are all looking forward to spring!
I think the cold weather is harder to take once you reach a certain age. I avoid it when I can. My daughter in Indianapolis never complains. Today she said that yes, it did snow. She sent her son out to shovel, and he enjoyed the exercise. He husband was building a fire downstairs. That’s all she said. Then I turned the TV on, and the Indianapolis snow led the national weather news. I’m glad they handle it so well, but I’m also glad I’m here where the weather is more mild.
When my brother went to the Naval Academy, he told us that the midshipmen referred to the long, bleak period between Christmas break and Spring Break as “the Dark Ages.” I live in LA now, where we long for dreary days and rain, but when my sisters call from the snowbound East Coast and moan, I remind them that even the Dark Ages had to end.
I think they’d settle for their kids going to school more than one day a week.
“The Dark Ages.” I like that.
What do people do when they have to go to work and their kids have “snow days?” I guess they stay home.
Thanks for this. It’s nice to know that Spring will come. Last night we gained more snow and colder temperatures, so in my neck of the woods, we long for a change of seasons.
Next week I have one more winter post. After that it’s all springtime. If I have a chance in late March or early April, I’ll drive up to the tulip fields and take pictures.