Winter is a season to itself, not simply the way to spring. Winter symbolises a time to slow down and take stock. It may force us to take the time to see ourselves and others clearly . A cold winter-day can bring us closer to our families if we let it. For me, cold winter days can be a time for rest, play and contemplation, days being snug. For others such cold days can be lonely or constricting, but if we use that time to stop, rest, let go and to simply BE, our lives can take on new meaning. Winter, whether it is a season of the year, a season of our lives, or a season of our souls, is a time to pause. We need the winter in our souls not to enclose us but to give us pause.

On Saturday, the day was crisp, clear, invigorating. The sun was bright, sky blue, and the air brought a flush to our cheeks, a quickness to our breath, and a liveliness to our spirits as we toiled in the garden, sweeping dead leaves from the paths, cutting back overgrown bushes and generally just tidying the garden. There is much to do because we have been a little lazy recently. When it is dull and cold, the weather seems to enfold us in fuzziness; which somehow leaves us out of touch, disconnected from the garden. We feel the ache in our bones and find excuses not to tackle the garden. Some winter weekend mornings, I rise full of vigour ready to meet friends, solve problems, build snow men, and experience new adventures; on others I pull the blankets closer around my ears, shutting out the day. It seems to me, if we choose, our days can be filled with color and variety but the choice is ours to seize the day and how hard it can be just to seize that day at times!

The sky pressed down on Sunday with an almost desolate grimness. In the early afternoon an eerie fog rolled in over Port Phillip Bay closing the airport. Today, the fog has lifted though it is still misty and damp.

There is no doubt that Winter, is a challenge to the spirit. It is always the challenge which draws from us our best. And winter like life is what we make of it. Just as we light fireplaces and candles in the dark of winter, just as we hug one another to drive out the cold, and share stories, just as we share our gifts and invite each other to parties when we feel alone, so it is that the unexpected turns of fate which plague us to one degree or another throughout our lives, provoke us to redefine ourselves. We are summoned to sharpen our skills, to learn new ways of doing things. We are forced to see ourselves in new ways and find new occupations. We learn to accommodate and retaliate until we have carved a niche for ourselves in the world as we have come to know it. Hardship is the source of our creativity. When times are easy and the world is soft, we sit on our laurels and glide; we rarely grow. It is the difficult that calls forth unique response. It is the hardship that deepen us and strengthens our spirits. Our lives and wits are sharpened by the risks we face and the risks we take ...