We Can Either Go Kicking and Screaming or We Can Enjoy the Ride - Surviving Winter

 To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold. - Aristotle

He may have been born in 384 BC, but Aristotle's wisdom still rings true today, even in the simplest, most obvious statement.  Perhaps I might share a little everyday wisdom of my own, simple enough yet not always so obvious, especially for those who have not paused to make their own such discovery.

I was born and raised in the Northeast and can honestly say I love all four seasons here in Upstate NY.  I recognize that I'm able to love every season partly because I can escape summer's sweltering heat in the comfort of air conditioning, and retirement allows me to stay inside my warm house when the outdoors is so frigid it feels like your face will fall off.  Some might say that that's cheating and I'm not sure they're wrong. 

Winter can be a long and even depressing stretch of time for many.  Clouds seem to prevail most days and last winter wasn't the most beautiful I've seen, mostly lacking snow to brighten the muddy, bland landscape.  For someone like me, always searching for pretty images to capture, it was a long and at times difficult season.  I vowed that this winter I would focus on the joys of winter - both outside my window and indoors where being housebound provides extra time for long-overdue projects.  Hopefully, I'll get through in better spirits than last winter.

Well, December was exactly the sort of winter I long for - cold and snowy, a photo waiting to be captured everywhere I looked.  A few road trips to our favorite destinations resulted in hundreds of photos that I'd be able to share over the next several weeks as well as a lesson we could all benefit from.  Some of these photos were different from any I've ever taken - mostly because I hadn't been at the right place at the right time and ultimately because they could only be captured if I left my cozy, warm house.  Some days that simple task is more daunting than others but like so many winter enthusiasts know - there are rewards for braving the cold.  My parents and grandparents were hardy ice fishermen braving the cold on the frozen Saratoga Lake, Lake George and long before that, Lake Champlain.  My parents also snow shoed and snowmobiled.  As Elsa in Frozen, they would probably say, "the cold didn't bother me anyway".  I can't say I share their enthusiasm for winter sports, but from the cozy warmth of my heated passenger seat, the beauty of winter is mine for the asking and the rewards for that small effort were more than worth the effort.  

Winter can be long.  It can be brutal for those who have to navigate outside the confines of their warm homes.  It can be dreary and depressing; that is for darn sure. Ask anyone who struggles with the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  But....if we try, there is something positive to be gotten from opening our eyes and minds to what these cold months have to offer.

So whether you get in your car once the roads clear and soak up the snow covered landscape, or just enjoy the local feathered lunch crowd....winter has something beautiful to offer if we just make an effort to notice.  These men seemed to be enjoying an afternoon of ice fishing on Mill Pond at Grafton Lakes State Park.  

And my grandparents....probably in the 1960's on Lake Champlain....

And that was me....way back in 1969 when I pretended to love winter to impress a cute boy with a snowmobile. Luckily I don't have to pretend I love the cold these days. Now I'll just admire winter and all it has to offer from inside where I can capture its beauty without shivering. I hope this edition of Life As I See It inspires you to take a moment to appreciate the season we're in because like everything in life, this won't last. It also won't end any sooner than usual, so unless you're a snowbird and can escape to warmer parts, you may as well just find a way to enjoy it.  Make a memory or capture a photo that will .... these two memorable moments... my dad, perhaps discovering skiing wasn't his forte and below my grandmother and me, seeming not be all that fazed by the depth of the snow surrounding us - back when weathermen didn't catastrophize over a 1"-3" snowfall.

Wishing this bluebird brings you abundant happiness this winter and beyond!

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Paying Christmas Respects at the Gerald B. Solomon National Cemetery

 It's that time of year again.....a week before Christmas.  It's the time when most who celebrate are pre-occupied and stressed, focused on last minute preparations that will hopefully guarantee the perfect holiday.  The truth of the matter is that nothing can guarantee that - the perfect holiday.  No matter what we buy, how much or how little we spend, how decked out our homes might be, how hard we've strived to buy the perfect gift - at the end of the day, almost everyone has something weighing on them, something that casts just even a small shadow on 'the perfect holiday'.

John and I try to pay a visit to the Gerald B. Solomon National Cemetery in Schuylerville a handful of times each year.  Driving through this sacred resting place is sobering.  One might say that about any cemetery and we certainly spend a good deal of time in a few of our local favorites, but there's something about this cemetery that just hits differently.  It could be the uniform placement of identical gravestones, it could be the pristine landscape that provides a massive view as far as the eye can see, but for me, I think it's knowing that every person interred here (even a spouse of a service member) has sacrificed for our freedom...every....single....one of them. That sacrifice may have been a short stint or a life-long career, but the people laid to rest here share one common thing.  They each gave so we could live free.  

This year, Wreaths Across America collected donations in order to place 17,000 wreaths in this cemetery alone.  In addition to this cemetery, more than two million volunteers and supporters gather to remember, honor and lay wreaths at more than 5,200 participating locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad. Donors could give for a specific grave or just make a general donation.  We've been donating for several years, some general wreath donations and for one specific grave - that of my great uncle George and great Aunt Harriet.  Last Saturday almost 1000 people gathered to volunteer their time to place wreaths on every grave at this one cemetery alone....such a beautiful way to pay tribute to these folks, yet such a small sacrifice compared to the one they've given for us.

This year, whether everything in your little corner of the world is perfect and plentiful or if, like most of us, you have things you're struggling with, or grieving over, or praying for resolution for, I hope you will stop for a moment to remember and thank all the service members who gave so much so we can enjoy life even under circumstances that are not so perfect.  I'm hopeful that taking a moment to appreciate those who have gone before us, those who fought for our freedom, some of whom paid the ultimate price, will for a moment help you feel a little more blessed and be a reminder that this holiday is not just for sparkling lights and perfectly wrapped presents.  Even the best of those things won't make your troubles disappear, your bank account feel bigger or your worries feel smaller.  But, when we take a moment to think of others, not just the heroes but those in our communities who are struggling with their own demons, we are reminded that we each have blessings we can be thankful for.  Today though, let's be thankful for this group of individuals and their families.  

For more information about Wreaths Across America: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/

"There will always be challenges to overcome as individuals, communities and a country, but we must keep moving forward together. This year, we will share not only the Byers' story of resilience but also the stories of many others who continue to live with purpose every day and have chosen to keep moving forward."

- Karen Worcester, Executive Director, Wreaths Across America

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