I am a January Baby. There is something about January that invites me into Winter. Perhaps it is because we celebrated my birthday and I remember those special days of childhood. I even had a dream last night that reminded me of that. Childhood friends. Which is to say that the childhood friends and I are now all entering the Senior Citizen "group" and are the ones already beginning to accept ourselves as walking toward the Winter of our lives.
I love snow! Fortunately, I have never had an excess of it so the times it did snow in Tennessee made it a special occasion, not an irritation. So when January comes, I wait in anticipation for those nasty gray skies (and the cold) that might bring with it a snowflake here or there, just enough to help me appreciate warmth and hearth. Fire. and the sound of children playing together outdoors. Hot Chocolate. Tea. No school. Time together. What more could I want?
Had I been born in another part of the world, or the USA, I would experience January differently. I would experience fire and ice differently. As it is, I am reminded of the passion, the essence, and the celebration of childhood. I was never afraid of Winter or January and the New Year. Along with it came my birthday and a chance for school to be closed. Winter can offer it's own gifts of frosty slowness and gloves sprinkled with snow. Time freeze frames them for our hearts.
(c) 2012. Janine C. Hagan. All Rights Reserved.