Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

I didn't have batteries for my camera, I didn't get to take a single photo for you. No, not even one. In my mind there are dozens, and they are all beautiful...

Today was a day of wonder and magic, not sorcery, not darkness, but delight and Christ, or Creation, and all that made it possible in His Word transforming nothing into something... Today was a day full of memories. Thursdays are our days for nature hikes, and we have failed to go recently due to illness and holiday and whatnot... Today however we were determined, and we even invited our new neighbors to join in our adventure... They are from southern California, and this Snow thing, well it is pretty new to them :) and they came ! :)

When we arrived at the park, it was a sight to behold, the sledding hill was sweet, and empty, the kids all barrelled out of the van so fast and were down the hill, as they saw no reason to be idle in waiting for the other families to arrive for the nature hike... must make the most of every opportunity... seemed to be the motto.... carpi Diem... right? And what a hill, oh what a time they had!

Once the other families arrived we headed for the hiking trail in the woods, it was so quiet, so hushed, so brilliant and white. The boughs were heavy laden with snow, at moments the tangle of branches could almost look like lace, the tracks of animals in the floor of the forest hidden from us all year, now exposed and laid before us.... So this is the way the rabbit frequents..... Oh ... so that is the way the deer always escapes..... Those are the nests of the .... It was just there, all laid before us, so quietly, so honestly, so transparent for our watchful wondering eyes...

And all they eyes, they were wondering, they were watching, and it was a delight for me to see. The forest pulled us in deeper and deeper than our practical mommy plans had envisioned for the day... Deeper than our schedules had allowed and none of us cared, and all of us altered and pushed aside our other plans, and made way for this amazing place, this winter garden that God had graced us with... O it was glorious, it's heights, it's depth, it's whiteness, so pure, and precious.

We saw woodpeckers, black and white striped, and the one with the red head too! :) We saw a deer and it saw us and it was a long and gentle exchange in a quite hollow in the wood, we walked slowly as did our friend all of us, 13 of us and this one gentle giant wandering alone in the hollow, nibbling on grasses not yet fully hidden by the snows, it was glorious, and the Lord of all Creation calmed this normally frightful creature long enough to let each of us, even Buddy, to pass through this long and narrow hollow with out frightening it away... It was breathtaking, it was a gift.

We hiked where the sun shone in the snow in all its glory making our eyes sore and our cheeks red, and we breathed in the cold fresh air and we felt its cleanness, and were glad. We wandered and found quiet places, and children explored and delighted sang Christmas Carols and ate snow (no not the yellow snow ) The trails wound and wound and the trees curved over us like a canopy, and between the snow laden branches there was a sky so brilliantly blue so scattered with clouds it was like walking in a dream....
But it was real, and we walked, and we talked, and were sometimes so quiet, we fellowshiped and shared, and children from the age of 3 to the age of 16 played together like it was the most wonderful and natural thing in the whole world... They laughed and scampered around trees and up hills and imagined and explored and dreamed dreams and I was a witness to it all. Great is our God and of Great Power.......

Princess Ki thought it was Narnia, or just like it, it was something so magical... we even saw two men who made a fire they seemed to just be keeping warm... I rather don't think they ought to have been doing that, but they were in the swampy region, and well, I don't know... If they weren't supposed to be there, something in my heart knew to let them be, they looked cold, they were polite, and seemed to be very careful about what they were doing. They offered no explanation, but well, I didn't ask, it added to the mystery of the day for the children, for me too.

We wandered for hours, we stopped a few times, and in the end they sledded and sledded till it was simply time to go... It was hard to go, and we all promised to try and come again next week. But next week is soooooooo far away, and so much can happen, but I do so hope, that God will grant it to us, I am so very thankful for this day!
This is the day the Lord hath made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

yes my legs hurt like crazy and buns of steel I have not! :) but Jesus saw me through! <><