Although I am very familiar with winter as a Colorado native, we have had such a mild winter that I had forgotten many of the things I love about the winter season. That’s because I enjoyed autumn temperatures most of the time and therefore didn’t fully immerse myself in the peculiar things of the winter season.

A couple of days ago we had our first big snowfall of this winter season and I was reminded of what I was missing. So if I may, let me share a few cartoons that will bring winter splendor to our hearts and minds.

• The lovely rhythmic sound of a small, flat stone being thrown sideways onto a frozen lake: Buzz, Bounce, Buzz, Bounce, Buzz…on a morning walk

• An almost mystical landscape created by “skeletons” of dark-figured trees as daylight comes to an end.

• Little fractures of ice breaking and crunching and the dull crunch of fresh powder snow underfoot.

• Funny waves in a “V” formed by an army of ducks and geese swimming in the icy water. Although this beauty can be seen year-round, it is stunning surrounded by snow-capped lake shores and jagged edges of ice jutting out into open water.

• Millions… no! Billions of miniature lights shimmering as sunlight hits freshly fallen virgin snow

• Spiced cider simmering filling the air with the sweet aroma of cinnamon and cloves

• Melting snow/water droplets refreezing before they reach the ground, adding length to already formed icicles in measures ranging from tiny to fathoms

• Turbulent cloud formations that surprise and demand a few moments of your time.

• Miniature marshmallows that slowly melt over mugs of hot cocoa to warm and soothe after a day of outdoor play

• Puffs of “snow smoke” rise from the mountain slopes as the wind caresses the pine branches until they release their snowy cover.

What beauty surrounds us during this winter season! The old adage “take time to stop and smell the roses” isn’t just for the seasons of the year when the roses are blooming. It is important, even vital to our well-being, to take time to see, hear, and smell what God has placed before us each day of each season. It just takes time… and that’s something we all have.