Frost

I woke up this morning, peered out the bedroom window with a half-open eye, and was greeted by a sparkly-white porch roof gilded with millions of tiny prisms: reflected sunlight.

Frost! I don’t know why it should be such a surprise – it’s that time of year, even if we’ve been having sunny, summery, short-sleeved weather.

Back in the era when we had a big garden, the first frost was a REALLY big deal. It marked the end of the growing season for real. Everything green turned into wilted (but crispy-cold) slime. We’d better bring in any remaining winter squash or pumpkins quick-quick.

I guess I’m a little surprised by the impact this year. Maybe the pending winter is a reminder that seasons of life come and go, and each one brings a new focus with it. Maybe the frost, with its sparkles, struck me since I’m in the autumn passing to winter as well.

Do I…sparkle? With lots and lots of prisms, responding to the energy of the sun? Enough to illumine (redefine, transform) cold stiffness into something alive and dancing with beauty?

The sparkles aren’t there by themselves. They only reflect…the sun/Son.