We’ve had an unusual amount of winter weather this year. My corner of the Ozarks isn’t known for its snow or ice, and we usually count ourselves blessed if we have one good snowfall per winter – “good” meaning enough to really get out and enjoy it.

This year we’ve had several, and a couple weeks ago we had two days of sleet which covered the ground in an inch and a half of ice pellets. Talk about slippery! It also seems like an inordinate amount of winter storms have hit on Wednesdays, and the amount of precipitation has kept us out of school the rest of the week. I’ve lost track of how many 5-day weekends we’ve had in the past two months. The lack of school days hasn’t been great for the students (though they’re working hard to keep up!), but it has honestly been really good for me.

As you might know, I have a habit of reflecting on each week on my social media. On Instagram and my author Facebook I post a haiku, and on my personal Facebook I post a list of weekly highlights. It’s just my way of inviting people into my life and checking in quickly.

One thing I’ve noticed this winter is that I kept reporting that I had been “catching up” on every long weekend. It’s true—I’ve yet to run out of things I can work on. Some of these projects have been on my to do list for months! But I’ve also been catching up on rest. Enjoying long stretches of reading time in bed. Wearing pajamas until after lunch. Not rushing. It has been glorious.

I realized along the way that I have caught up with myself.

The last few months of 2021 were rough. There was grief and loss on several levels, and that takes a toll on a person. I’m not someone who processes my emotions quickly, and I tend to be the one holding things together no matter how much I’m falling apart inside. I press forward and deal with myself later. But after a while the weight of it all pulls you down. You don’t feel like yourself because you’re hauling around all these things inside of you that you don’t know how to deal with.

Until you have the time to be still. To rest. To reflect. To release. Not even necessarily in conscious ways. I didn’t approach my quieter days with “deal with my emotions” as a priority. It just happens when you have space to think and to be without the usual external pressure.

Slowly I’ve found myself feeling happy again. Like myself. What a gift!

God knew I needed many snow days to catch up—not with my lists, but with myself. And with Him. At no point during my difficult months did I stop believing in His goodness, but now I feel it and see it in more tangible ways, and my soul warms and blossoms like spring flowers under His sunshine.

This world remains a difficult place, and many I know are struggling with its weight. Too often there’s no time for quiet, and the noise is ceaseless in its quest for attention. There’s more than enough to worry about, to rob us of our peace.

But watch for those moments when you can embrace the stillness. Take a breath when you can. I know it’s not always available to us—I know. Yet it’s in the stillness that we find what our hearts need—connection. With our emotions. With His heart. Possibly with others.

If your heart longs for quiet, I pray that it will come your way soon. Or that you can make time for it. Oh, how we need it.