I have been looking through winter pictures on the computer. You know, there isn't enough snow out there to be content, so I had to find some more to look at. lol
This has definitely been a winter to remember (or forget, depending on your view of snow and ice) and I have to admit that my self-control wasn't always intact through it all. Once I started looking through pictures on the computer, I realized that it could have been a lot worse here for us.
For example:
This was taken two years ago...
This was taken yesterday.
AND
This was taken two years ago
This was taken yesterday from a different angle than the one two years ago.
Hmmm...I wonder why it was that I was having a hard time with it this year, when it obviously wasn't as bad as two years ago. I have an idea...it probably had something to do with staying in the house and not getting out to enjoy the beauty of God's power in creation. This little trip we took yesterday made all the difference for me.
We live in a very rural area of our county here in West Virginia and when we first moved here, I had trouble adjusting to the move. But now? Now I have found some of the most beautiful parts of the state right down the road from us about three miles!
I was just reading in Psalm 30 yesterday about the power of God in creation and when I view it from that perspective I just have to stand in awe that He has brought this beauty about...whether it was two years ago or this year.
Thanks so much to each of you who stop by here so faithfully and also to the new readers as well. I do appreciate each of you.
Absolutely beautiful posts, the photos and the words you stated. It is about perspective and how to enjoy all of God's gifts, isn't it? We are mindful that we still have electricity and are warm and safe here where it is snowing soft snow over the hard ice of last week!
ReplyDeleteHello, my friend. I always smile when I see your name and face pop up in the comments. Thank you for your kind words regarding this post. Yes, I do believe our perspective definitely makes the difference in how we respond to things that are laid before us. Enjoy that soft snow that is covering your ice. We are forecast to have more today, but so far, we haven't received any. There's a bigger chance of it for tomorrow though. Enjoy your weekend, my friend, and thanks so much for stopping by.
DeleteSuch beautiful pictures! You do have such beauty around you and as Cathy said, we are blessed to have electricity and stay warm. God has blessed us and I need to look at how much I have to be thankful for instead of whining!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your words of encouragement, my friend. We, too, are thankful for the electricity and warmth and food that our Father has blessed us with. He's so kind and merciful. xx
DeleteSo much beauty in each of these photos and I am happy that you shared them with us...It is so cold here, but nothing in comparison to what any of these photos show. I really like your new layout on your blog...You did good!! big hugs
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Shug, for your words of encouragement. It was -14 here this morning but warmed to a balmy 12 this afternoon. It was wonderful to see the sunshine two days in a row. :) Thank you for the kind words regarding the new layout on the blog. I am getting used to it...my other one was my favorite, but this one is working well, too. :) Stay warm, my friend. xx
DeleteThe frozen waterfalls are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAren't they though? In the spring and summer, I love to go to this same spot after a rain (especially if it's been a down pour) and listen to the water come flowing over those rocks. Both of those locations set back off the road, and they never cease to take my breath away.
DeleteWinter has its charm and I've had to take myself to task about complaining about it this year. it is a season God created so it's to be appreciated. Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteAs we are told in Ecclesiastes 3:1, to everything there is a season...and I have to admit that I don't always see that...and I haven't always seen that through this storm until yesterday when we got out and I was able to enjoy the beauty of what He has formed. He definitely used it to change my perspective. :)
DeleteI hope February will bring more moderate weather your way. Snow and Ice are beautiful but can also be treacherous. How nice for you to have a couple of days of sunshine.
ReplyDeleteI believe this coming week our temperatures, beginning Monday, will be in the 20s and 30s. That will be a heat wave to the many nights of minus zero that we've been experiencing this week. Yes, snow and ice can be treacherous, and I have to admit to focusing on that much more than the beauty, until we were able to go out for a bit on Friday. We are having sunshine again today (Sunday) for the third day in a row!
DeleteIt is good to be reminded that things aren't so bad and that we've seen some of this before. How nice to have a refresh time getting out and about for a little bit. So helpful to get unstuck. :) Your side of the country is getting quite a hit with weather. We are still in wet and foggy mode here. No snow...yet. Thanks for the photos of then and now!!
ReplyDeleteEllen, thank you so much for your words of encouragement here. It was helpful to get unstuck. :) So far, this weekend (and it is Sunday afternoon that I am typing this) we haven't had the bad weather, but rather the folks south of us in the Carolinas and TN and Kentucky have gotten hit with the snow. But we are supposed to have another storm coming through next weekend.
DeleteI think for me, I am bothered by the lack of sunshine more than the cold--though I am not a fan of cold and snow, either. :-) I think I have mentioned that I am pretty much housebound when there is snow or ice on the ground due to balance issues. It is awfully pretty, though. And I agree with Melanie--God created it for a reason, so I am trying not to complain or have a negative attitude about it. Normally, snow here melts off within a day or two. But it's been so cold, ours has stuck around a bit longer. Even though we're still below freezing, the sun is out, so some of it is melting.
ReplyDeleteOh, my friend, I get where you are coming from when it comes to lack of sunshine. The gray overcast days are harder to deal with. Today (Sunday) makes the third day in a row that we've had sunshine, and I have certainly enjoyed them...and have more energy and motivation, it seems. We have had many nights this past week of negative numbers...I think the lowest we've had so far has been -14. And our highs haven't been out of the teens, and mostly in the low teens at that. :) We are probably a bit more used to that here than you are there. It's part of winter here in our area of WV.
DeleteBrr you are experiencing very cold weather.
ReplyDeleteFebruary in my part of the UK has started very wet and more rain is forecast for the week ahead!
I wish you a happy Sunday and a happy first day of February.
All the best Jan
Yes...we are having some very cold weather here, Jan. I am able to stay in for the most part. This week it's to warm up to the 20s and 30s. That's going to feel like a heat wave after all of the below zero temps we've had! :)
DeleteI hope you see the sunshine at some point this week.
We did have a happy Sunday...we were able to be in church for the morning services and then I spent the afternoon on the sofa reading! I almost completed a book in that time frame. :) xx
Beautiful photos, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Billie Jo. xx
DeleteI love ❤️ Winter, and your photos are absolutely stunning. Thank you 😊 🙏 💓 so much for sharing. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada ❤️ 😊 🇨🇦
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you so much for stopping by! I appreciate your words of encouragement regarding the photos.
DeleteGorgeous photos!!! I am energized by this weather whether I am out of the house or not. It is summer that gets me down because that season makes my joints feel awful.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Karen. :) And I truly get why you are energized by this weather rather than summer. I have the same problem in the summer...especially when it's extremely hot and humid. The humidity gets me every time.
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