Archive for ‘December, 2009’

Mountain mystery

Karl’s and my Christmas Day tradition has been a decadent breakfast followed by a long snowshoe run. It continued this year.

Snow is scarce in the valley. We headed around Flathead Lake on the way to Blacktail Mountain Road and higher elevation.

Driving along the lake, a few mountain peaks of the Continental Divide were visible in sun holes in the cloud cover.

We drove up the road through the low inversion layer of foggy clouds and emerged above it all.

It was a world of sunshine, snow ghosts and mountain mystery.

Looking toward Christmas

The season of Advent: Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a reminder both of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting of Christians for the second coming of Christ.

I love this time of year – the waiting and expectation of Christmas, of snow and real Winter. There is excitement in all of it – remembering childhood Christmases so full of anticipation and then the growing of faith and the wondering of all that Christmas means to me now.

I like to savor every moment of this “time before” – the knowing of this celebration as our Heavenly Father wanting to enter our world and our lives.

On this quiet morning, I sat enjoying. The light from my little indoor tree softly lit small treasures from childhood, first years on my own and more recent finds that speak to me of the joy and wonder of this time of year. I sat…looking toward Christmas.