Calm Storm

And idle thoughts to keep warm

Hey! How do you prepare for a big event?

The way the air is still before all the pieces begin moving. That’s the strangest moment of all right before a festival.

And that’s when we have a moment to get lost in nostalgic thoughts.

An attempt to balance tempered expectations with embellished memories.

Although it could also just as easily simply be a way to pass the time. The stress building up as everything winds up. A growth of potential energy that can’t help but become kinetic.

So that tension has to be kept somewhere safe.

Winter dreams frozen as raindrops high above, but we can be sure they’ll fall as snow eventually. Crystalized intent as emotional flakes in the idealized forecast waiting at the end of the year.

Some would even say they hear a hymn or a prayer gently drifting in the wind.

The spirit of the holiday or an angelic ringing, something like the sound of a distant church bell dampened by the long nights.

Maybe nothing more than a faint echo passed down through the generations. Or a lost reflection distorted by the ripples of a lineage.

The final note doesn’t need to be found in a grandiose cathedral, but I do believe we’re all looking for a light to lead us through the storm.

So we sit in quiet and watch the clouds form, already decided to ride out the weather.

We find shelter in our homes, our traditions, our families, even if we must stand against the wind.

And if you enjoyed the mood of these few quiet, holiday thoughts, I provide just such a refuge in my book, Besnowed.

Cozy comfort in the cold

Otherwise, I wish you well as we step into the storm.

Until next time,

—JMB