Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

winter

5 on Friday: Books to get you through winter {plus a giveaway!}

It snowed here this week, which has me thinking all things winter. Hot drinks. Warm blankets. Pretty scenery (viewed from inside, of course!). While I’m not much of a play-in-the-snow kind of person, I don’t mind snow. If it’s going to be cold, I’d rather have snow than nothing.

1. A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs. I read this novella last year, and I’ll probabl

No matter the season, I have books on the brain. And I’ve been thinking of some Christmas-themed ones and winter-themed ones that might make your winter a little warmer. Here are five that come to mind. (And I’m giving two of them away!)wreath of snow

y pick it up again. I didn’t used to read Christmas stories around Christmas, but there’s a charm to it.

sweethave christmas2. A Sweethaven Christmas by Courtney Walsh. This is the third book in a series, but if you’re from a small town that has a Christmas walk/parade/festival, then this book will take you back there. I haven’t been to something like that in years but when I read this story, I felt like I was home. (Keep reading to find out how to win a copy of this one!)

3. Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma. A new release I read this week (and it was on sale on Kindle!). Set in 1945 in the Netherlands, the book focuses on Dutch Resistance efforts and one woman’s internal battle with living safe or living free. Also, based, in part, on a true story from Tolsma’s family.

4. Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman. Another good one about a woman becoming who she truly is. I love that the main character’s name is Lily Winter. As she recovers from the loss of her husband and her daughter’s transition to college, Lily heads to Australia in search of a twin sister she never knew she had.

wildflowers from winter5. Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert. (I guess I have a thing for flowers and winter imagery!) In it, a small-town girl making it big in the city returns to her hometown to deal with tragedy and finds that leaving her past behind isn’t as easy as she thought. And I happen to have an extra signed copy of this one in the house, so I’d love to give it away. Consider it a Christmas present to you, my book-loving friends! Is there any better present than a book? Maybe, but books are near the top of the list for me!

And I’ve got a copy of A Sweethaven Christmas to give away! Two books, two winners!

So, how do you win? Just leave me a comment about what you love/hate/appreciate/despise about winter, or answer any of the questions below. Also, if you’d prefer one book over the other, let me know that. One winner per book, though! I’ll pick two winners on Tuesday, December 17 (my grandmother’s birthday!). (Contest open to U.S. readers.)

What other Christmas/winter books would you add to the list? Have you read any of these?

What stories do you like to read when the temperatures drop?

How I'm learning to love the dying season

A few weeks ago, the trees around here were breathtaking in their fall colors. I’m learning that Lancaster County is a beautiful place to live in autumn. No matter which direction I drive, I see color and mountains and streams and rivers.

Beauty.

Some days, I’ve felt like I live in a painting, but no picture can quite capture it. Even if I was an award-winning photographer with professional equipment, the result would be inadequate.

fall color

Now, the leaves are falling. And the weather is turning colder. (Sort of.) And the days are shorter, the sunshine lacking.

I always get a little sad when the seasons change because, well, change is hard. When you get used to one thing–leaving the house without jackets, mittens and hats–and you have to switch suddenly, it’s jarring. I’ve sent my daughter to school without a winter coat on a cold day because I just didn’t think about her being outside for recess. And I forgot my coat when we went to the park on Saturday because it had been warm during the day. News flash: when the sun drops in the sky, the temperature goes with it. Live and learn.

And my eye is drawn to color. I notice the reds and pinks and yellows and differing shades of green. Sometimes I can’t believe there are so many different colors in nature, that trees that all look green in the summer display the whole palette of colors come fall.

So, winter, with its whites and grays and browns seems dreary.

But this year, I’m noticing beauty in the barren.

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Because what looks dead isn’t really dead. It’s dormant. Resting. Waiting.

If the trees were dead, there would be no hope. But they aren’t dead. They’re alive, and this is just a season. A part of the natural rhythm of life. Necessary, even, for the new life to come.

I have felt it in my days, those spring and summer seasons of life and fun and fullness, when everything seemed new and bright. And I have felt the dying seasons of change and loss and bleakness.

In the life seasons I rejoice, and I think things could stay this way all the time. In the dying seasons, I  wonder if spring will ever come again. If it will always be this way.

And, of course, it never is. Life, death, life again. The seasons change, in nature and in life, and we do well to find the joy where we can.

I can’t yet say that winter is my favorite season. Maybe none of them are my favorites anymore. Maybe they all hold their own special charm. And maybe I wouldn’t appreciate them at all if not for the others.

Without winter, would I anticipate spring? Without fall, could I endure the heat of summer?

“There is a time for everything,” the wise man writes. Living, dying, laughing, crying.

This winter, instead of moaning and whining about the cold, I want to find the beauty. Seek the joy.

Will you join me?