"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck
To Winter - by William Blake (from Poetical Sketches, 1783)
O winter! bar thine adamantine doors:
The north is thine; there hast thou built thy dark
Deep-founded habitation. Shake not thy roofs
Nor bend thy pillars with thine iron car.
He hears me not, but o’er the yawning deep
Rides heavy; his storms are unchain’d, sheathed
In ribbed steel; I dare not lift mine eyes;
For he hath rear’d his sceptre o’er the world. Contd Below
Small Stones#28
I can't help but notice winter's frosty blanket
It's everywhere and on everything...
It slows our pace and numbs our hands
It forces us to contemplate...
What are small stones?
According to the originators of this wonderful exercise, a small stone is a short piece of writing (prose or poetry) that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment. The process of discovering small stones is as important as the finished product. Searching for small stones will encourage you to keep all your senses; - your eyes,(and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.
More Below!
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” Edith Sitwell
Lo! now the direful monster, whose skin clings
To his strong bones, strides o’er the groaning rocks:
He withers all in silence, and in his hand
Unclothes the earth, and freezes up frail life.
He takes his seat upon the cliffs, the mariner
Cries in vain. Poor little wretch! that deal’st
With storms, till heaven smiles, and the monster
Is driven yelling to his caves beneath Mount Hecla.
Small Stones#28
I'm not a huge fan of winter
But I'm grateful for the seasons...
Winter reminds me daily that I too
Can make the effort to change...
Some Food for Thought: What do you notice about winter? Take a moment to contemplate what Winter means to you? Love and Peace in 2013. I would love to hear from you:
Please leave me a comment. Thank You!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photographs: Winter Cathedral, Tallinn, Wikipedia, or my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
 |
| Reflections: Winter's Call... |
To Winter - by William Blake (from Poetical Sketches, 1783)
O winter! bar thine adamantine doors:
The north is thine; there hast thou built thy dark
Deep-founded habitation. Shake not thy roofs
Nor bend thy pillars with thine iron car.
He hears me not, but o’er the yawning deep
Rides heavy; his storms are unchain’d, sheathed
In ribbed steel; I dare not lift mine eyes;
For he hath rear’d his sceptre o’er the world. Contd Below
Small Stones#28
I can't help but notice winter's frosty blanket
It's everywhere and on everything...
It slows our pace and numbs our hands
It forces us to contemplate...
According to the originators of this wonderful exercise, a small stone is a short piece of writing (prose or poetry) that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment. The process of discovering small stones is as important as the finished product. Searching for small stones will encourage you to keep all your senses; - your eyes,(and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.
More Below!
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” Edith Sitwell
 |
| Reflections: Winter's Call... |
Lo! now the direful monster, whose skin clings
To his strong bones, strides o’er the groaning rocks:
He withers all in silence, and in his hand
Unclothes the earth, and freezes up frail life.
He takes his seat upon the cliffs, the mariner
Cries in vain. Poor little wretch! that deal’st
With storms, till heaven smiles, and the monster
Is driven yelling to his caves beneath Mount Hecla.
Small Stones#28
I'm not a huge fan of winter
But I'm grateful for the seasons...
Winter reminds me daily that I too
Can make the effort to change...
Some Food for Thought: What do you notice about winter? Take a moment to contemplate what Winter means to you? Love and Peace in 2013. I would love to hear from you:
Please leave me a comment. Thank You!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photographs: Winter Cathedral, Tallinn, Wikipedia, or my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Winter's coat of white, makes me say good night! Hibernation time. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNever come across 'small stones' before - I like the idea.
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteDana
winter's frosty blanket ... wow !!!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you sprinkle your posts with fabulous quotes and magnificent pictures Eliz. The slower pace of nature during winter makes me pause and reflect upon life like no other season. It makes me feel grateful for the warmth and love in life:)
ReplyDeleteOh winter... I so envy people who are experiencing the 4 seasons on this Earth. Unfortunately, we're here in the Middle East, so it's either very hot or cold only. And no snow even :(
ReplyDeleteone of my dreams is to experience winter, when will it be? hahaha
ReplyDeleteLove the pix. reminds me of snow queen, i dont know why...love your quote as well. i grew up in high school reading john steinbeck
ReplyDeleteI've never experienced winter, having spent all my life in a tropical country. Rainy days also slow my pace...I could just imagine what snows of winter would do to me :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Anthony! It has yielded great good fruit. Try it. :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Dana! Winter scenery is often pretty to look at... but I can't handle the cold. :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Green Speck! This year she roared back with gusto. We were spared last year... Quite the blanket too. :-)
ReplyDeleteReshma you are right. It is a time of great contemplation and hibernation... TY! :-)
ReplyDeleteJhari TY! Ironically, some of us would love to have the seasons you have and skip the rest... :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Reese! Hopefully soon enough in your lifetime. The changing seasons can be quite fascinating to observe and even capture. :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Marie! I remember reading about the snow queen too and that terribly cold place she lived... :-)
ReplyDeleteTY Aileen! The impact of snow is somewhat like that of heavy rains... it interrupts the flow and pace of life. We learn to adjust too. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope I saw this earlier. My daughter was looking for winter related poems and quotes for a school assignment. I ended up making my own...lol
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poems and photos!
ReplyDeletehaven't tried to see those snow, wish to see those in the future, I like those images post above. thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteFor everything, there is a season! I love how, like people, snow is perfect foil to sunny
ReplyDeleteSurrounding is beautiful when covered with snow but I am not fond of the cold weather.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen snow up close, only flurries while we were in Niagara. We'll be in NYC this Feb and hopefully, the weather will be nice and "kinder." I don't like to see snow if the weather is bad.
ReplyDeleteI love to experience winter. Hopefully in the future..I want to see the snow.
ReplyDeleteI wish we have winter here too. But I think this is God's what it to be. Anyway, experiencing winter is one of my dreams since I found winter a time to relax and enjoy the warmth of love :)
ReplyDeleteMommy Maye
www.momaye.com