Winter is here!!!! Time to crank out the hot cider, snowboards, skis, and get ready to do some serious stuff with snow!!!! You definitely know it's winter when you start cranking fresh cider from apples you got around the farm here where we live. But with winter, sometimes we can sink into deep melancholy. Like sometimes, you can feel stuck a whole lot.I have been feeling stuck at home because my older sister has been traveling and I have had to stay and take over for her. She will be traveling again pretty soon, and I am supposed to take over for her again, be the SS (substitute sister). And there have been times when I would like to strike out on my own, explore, figure out what I am here for, what I am supposed to do for a career, but as of late I have had to stuff that longing in my pocket and just keep waking up every morning to get school and chores done.

 I guess that's how God works. You want to go, He has you stay. It's been hard to find a blessing in it, though. When I've been hurt, or friends have passed, It's been hard to thank Him for it, cause either physical pain or inside, it's just really hard to thank him. When our friend passed recently, It was hard to thank Him for her passing, because she was young when she died, barely 5. And It hurt to not be back home while she was going downhill health wise. As the snow falls on the mountains, and tree leaves turn color, the color of snow might be the color of pureness, but sometimes, it could be a spiritual symbol. It could mean a start of good things in your life, but it could mean a heavy fall of bad things. Or sometimes, your life could be the picture of a gutted tree, completely bereft of leaves. But you know what? There is always spring to wait for and leaves to begin growing again. And you know what? There will soon be an opportunity to go traveling by myself; I just need to wait. And pretty soon, the time will tell, and before you know it, you might be off on your first adventure as well!!!!