Dark and Blustery Nights

 The weather turned very cold this week. It was delivered on a biting wind. Combined with the dark evenings, there is no doubt that winter is on our doorstep. Lately, these things remind me of  childhood winters in the north. My mind relates the discomforts of cold and dark into comforting thoughts of our cozy little house and the safe feeling of a mother and father nearby. I do not recall ever thinking about the world beyond our snowy avenue and school. Life felt safe. After we were tucked into bed at night and the house became quiet, we were lulled to sleep by the sounds of water trickling through the radiators. The radiators made a gentle, "tick, tick, tick" sound as the metal heated and cooled. Although the wind was blowing against the windows and snow may have been falling, the warmth of our home and the sound of the radiators made helped us feel like safe and warm. Thoughts of waking to a blanket of snow in the morning made it even sweeter. Oh, the excitement of going to sleep with these happy thoughts! Even though the house was shut up tight, we could hear the snow. The "ssss" sound snow makes when it falls and the way it muffles all other sounds is palpable and so comforting.

Here we are now. The same dark and blustery nights have followed us into adulthood. But, we have no water heated radiators and rarely any snow. There is no mother or father nearby and we will definitely not have to go to school tomorrow : ) The world is now so much wider than my little Woodlawn Avenue and there are so many more people that I love and care about. Sleep does not come easy anymore. But, on these blustery nights, if I can't sleep because of the wind or because life is niggling at my brain, I will conjure up the memory of those ticking radiators and the muffled sound of the snow. Before I realize it, I have fallen blissfully asleep with the words, "Thank you Lord", on my lips.