Winter is beautiful in the way only Winter can be. It stands in defiance of what we expect beauty to be. It is not warm, welcoming, or enticing. It is not tactile in the way other season are. It does not invite us to touch, and when we do, we are met with cold, brittle sensations.
Not like Spring with joy bursting from every branch, shooting right out of the ground.
Not Summer, with juicy fruit, rich carpets of grass, cool shade from nurturing trees.
Not like Autumn, with wild parties of color, and leaves that dance across our path, inviting us to share in one last festival before the silence of the coming season.
Winter is severe, stark, and breathtaking. Beauty few can grasp, the few who do not sleep through the season in front of TV’s and computers, burrowed in their homes and offices.
It is there for those who dare to reach out and touch the fiery ice, who will allow themselves to be clothed in snow, who will hear the crunch of ice and snow, dead leaves and twigs as they walk in the woods, who hear sounds beyond the silence.
It is a hard beauty, and one that does not care if you join in or not. It is proud and unrelenting. Its beauty lies in the very force of life. Winter holds the seed for all the seasons to come and needs nothing to embellish its power.
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Katiewritesagain's Blog 
You nailed it, Katie…the sounds beyond the silence of this season.
I won’t add many of my thoughts here about Winter…it is a very personal season for all of us…but one that we can avoid because of our apprehension and discomfort.
You, by your words, have seen into this season with a particular depth. It forces us to be still…to listen to the silence, to go beyond the obvious.
And it does hold the seeds of everything to come. It is the most powerful season in my opinion, and one that we try to relegate to the grave. There is a particular tension in the cold air, as if this whole season is suspended upon a cold metal wire. The clarity of the air, the bare-bones of everything around us lies in expectancy.
I agree with everything you have written on this most essential season. Your words need no embellishment from me.
Lady Nyo
Jane
Thank you. I do think Winter holds more power than any other season, and is more indifferent to us than at any other time.