Glancing at the calendar this morning, I saw the new month. November. Daylight savings ended, but with that this month gave me her gift–another hour of sleep. Unfortunately, she is fickle and I will have to give it back come spring. Even Lulu, my labradoodle puppy, enjoyed the extra hour, languishing in bed, stretching her long legs. Now the days are shorter, the nights colder.  We took a long hike in the mountains and observed the changing landscape. The colorful leaves are floating to the ground. The squirrels are stockpiling nuts, and I think the bear is getting ready to hibernate. (Lulu like scat, but it makes her sick!)  Soon snow will cover the landscape. Nightly my husband will light the fire and its flames will nourish our souls. We will spend more time indoors, perhaps at the piano, reading a good book, (he likes action books while I devour lengthy novels built around characterization) working on our art, or just enjoying the smell of the logs burning brightly. The barbecue will be silenced as snow will cover the patio and I will revert to the standard winter fare: soups, stews, roasts in the clay pot, and pasta.

Late fall and winter’s gifts are quieter than spring and summer’s. Now is the time of year to go into your self, the time of year the Divine has so cleverly crafted so that you will invest in your self, your soul, your real essence. Wholeness is born in your soul. Living causes fragmentation as everyone/thing vies for a part of you. But Nature has the answer–the shortening of the day. This allows us all to invest our energy into our souls, so we will be reborn when the daffodils shyly poke their heads up through the melting snow.