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A Note from Sr. Warden, Leslie Redmon:
January! That month of wintry weather (and our famous Ohio gray skies) calls some out to enjoy the snowy slopes, while others stay tucked warmly inside around a fire. Winter seems to be particularly exciting for children and dogs, and it is great entertainment to see them frolicking freely in the freshly fallen flakes, as only children and dogs can do! We should all try to join them in falling back into a “snow angel” or two before the season ends.
February is just around the corner. Ash Wednesday falls early in the calendar this year, on February 14 - on Valentine’s Day! And the Lenten season will begin.
But before it does, let’s remember to enjoy this wintry month of January, and all the joy that awaits out there, in that brisk, snowy air.
’Tis Winter Now
by Samuel Longfellow
’Tis winter now; the fallen snow
Has left the heav’ns all coldly clear;
Through leafless boughs the sharp winds blow,
And all the earth lies dead and drear.
And yet God’s love is not withdrawn;
His life within the keen air breathes;
His beauty paints the crimson dawn,
And clothes the boughs with glittering wreaths.
And though abroad the sharp winds blow,
And skies are chill, and frosts are keen,
Home closer draws her circle now,
And warmer glows her light within.
O God! Who giv’st the winter’s cold
As well as summer’s joyous rays,
Us warmly in Thy love enfold,
And keep us through life’s wintry days.
This poem is beautifully sung by the Hal Leonard and Shawnee Press Church Choral, on YouTube, here.
Leslie Redmon
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