Winter showed up last week, lowered the thermostat to zero, and tucked in the earth with six inches of snowy insulation. The world softened, punctuated by day with the shrieks of children careening down the hill, and by night with the haunting voice of an owl, answered in kind from deep within the trees.

Ah, there’s peace in winter, in the cold that drives us inside for warmth and relationship, whether that relationship focuses inward or our gaze falls upon those who share our lives and our attention. So it’s a grateful time, this cold, snowy weather, because it nudges us back to simplicity, and slows us down, and encourages a hibernation of sorts while gently tucking us in along with the sleeping earth.