Thank goodness it’s been so cold!

The high for today was a whopping 38 degrees and we have been duly informed that tomorrow will be all of 28 degrees. Brrr. In the past I’ve never been a fan of cold weather but I think the cold weather has exposed me to glimpses of time that I will hold dear to my heart for always.


You see, because I don’t like to be cold I have added a few extra layers of blankets to my bed, and I go to bed with my pjs, hat , long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt , and big, fat , leopard print slipper boots. Of course, my husband thinks I have lost my mind but I don’t care because I don’t like to be cold! At any rate, I get between the flannel sheets and try to get comfy with all the extra clothes so I can doze off to La-la Land (one of my favorite places). I try not to move too much because then I’ll feel cold again. So there I am, facing the ceiling with the blankets up to my nose and pillows surrounding me, just listening to rest of the family trying to get to bed. I hear running up and down the stairs, I hear my husband’s electric toothbrush, the water running as he washes his face, his yelling at our kiddos and telling them how gross they are for not brushing their teeth, the kiddos continuing to falsely claim that they did brush their teeth and that he can check their toothbrushes.

Our dog tries to stay out of the drama by wandering around with her dog tags clanking until her favorite person in the whole world (my husband) yells, “Up” to her to which she responds by jumping up on our bed so she can settle down on his pillow so she can be near him as he falls to sleep. Then my husband climbs into bed and attempts to snuggle with me which is no easy task with all the extra stuff. No later than two minutes later my son will walk in and explain to us that tomorrow for sure he will sleep in his own bed. My husband and I both yell, “NO!” but of course the boy completely ignores us as he climbs into bed with us all the time grumbling that it’s too cold to sleep in his room anyway. In the background , my teenage daughter says that she will be joining us later---to which she holds true. For around 5:00AM she will also crawl into bed with us ----so there we are my husband, my son, my daughter, my dog and me all in the same bed! AND WE ARE WARM!

And now for the glimpses of time I find most precious--- the time between five and six thirty. It is during this sweet precious time when I can’t go back to sleep that I lie their listening to them breathing in and out in deep, peaceful slumber. On my left-hand side I hear my husband breathing in deeply with thick, heavy breaths –I know he is so tired because he works so hard and he internalizes so much stress and worry. He has been through so much and he never complains. He just endures. I hear my daughter breathing light, long breaths that are uniformly measured in duration and repetition. She rarely moves during her sleep and does not like to be moved. She lies next to me on the right-hand side because she likes me to hug her till she has to get up. Then there is my son, who breathes loud, short breaths because his allergies keep him pretty congested. He moves a lot during his sleep and has been known to stick his toe right into my left nostril! He dominates the bed so we all have learned to put him on the “Cowboy -Side” which is my husband’s left-hand side. Oh, and the dog, well that spoiled little thing she stays near my husband no matter what but if we get on her nerves she will crawl under the blankets and sleep at his feet.

So I listen to them, I listen to the loud silence of the  cold house, I listen to the sounds of the occasional car go by as the world starts to wake up for another day of work and duties. I can hear the wind blowing its cold wind through the trees. I hear my blood flowing through my veins. And I whisper to God, “Thank you for this beautiful family and this beautiful life and even though I am going to have to get up soon and re-enter the world of chaos and blah, I honestly believe that life is good!”

Yup, those are times I will never forget----so, thank goodness it’s been so cold!