Association Of Catholic Bloggers

The prospect of a long winter ahead is daunting especially with memories of the epic snowfall amounts of last year still haunting many of us. I once anticipated January with dread. Winter can be dark, oppressive and confining: the arctic air and biting winds… the deep snows burying the landscape … ice covering the streets and sidewalks … darkness that greets us when we rise and meets us at the end of each work day. January is a quiet month. Birds don’t come to the feeder; their songs no longer greet me in the morning. Crickets and locusts have gone silent at night. January was a month without life. Then I read Henry Beston’s classic, The Outermost House and it changed my perception of winter forever ...   Click here to continue reading ...

A friend, who is an Oblate Brother from Portugal, has always detested Canadian winters. Usually, he simply wants to hide from winter with its icy, raw coldness and grey skies. This year, he decided to tackle his grumbling attitude head-on looking for winter’s beauty and blessings. He inspired me to praise God for winter. It is time to welcome winter. Beautiful snowflakes absorb sound waves, Over a pure, white earth. It is time to discover beauty in winter and thank God. read more