45 Comments

What a lovely poem, thank you! "What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness". John Steinbeck. Winter is about silence, stillness. It is the gap between the out breath and the in breath of the earth. It is about rest, and preparation for rebirth. As a photographer, I love the beauty of the bare trees and actively seek them. Moonlight on freshly fallen snow... The silence of snowfall at night... These are my random winter thoughts triggered by the beautiful poem. Thank you!

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Thank you for the lovely poem. “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck. Winter is about silence, stillness. It is the gap between the outbreath and the inbreath taken by the earth. As a photographer, I see and love the beauty in the bare trees. Moonlight on freshly fallen snow. The silence of snow falling at night. Time of reflection. These are my random thoughts of winter triggered by the beautiful poem. Thank you!

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Enjoyed this post belatedly today! Got back last night from camping at Yosemite this past week and a snowstorm had passed by last week, so there was a thick blanket of snow covering the meadows and campground. It was so peaceful the entire time we were there because hardly anyone else was camping. We were warm enough in our tents and sleeping bags, and enjoyed our campfire in the late afternoon/evening and the sunshine (50-55°F) during the day.

I'm very glad to be back home now catching up on my digital content, and keenly appreciative of electricity and hot running water. While feeling the passage of time, I'm also grateful for another winter and passing the one year mark of a major surgery.

You are quite inspiring, Dan, and I am so thankful for your presence here.

Stay healthy, please! 💜

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Growing up in Hawaii, I was rather uneducated when it came to snow. Then I moved to Susanville CA, and saw it snowing, huge white flakes drifting to the ground, it was incredible. Bundled up yet still freezing, I stomped around and marveled at a sight and sound I would never forget---it was so beautiful, and so quiet, as if the troubles and clamor of the world had suddenly ceased.

For a moment they had.

And by your hand, that moment is remembered and re-experienced, and so with a warm smile I thank you for that kindness, and wish you well.

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Warm and breezy here in southern Florida. Reading the Smile post and comments, I can almost feel the nip in the air and taste the cold. I want to build a snowman.

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Snowman standing alone in the ocean of snow ! don't know what he is thinking.

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I am blessed to have always lived in coastal California. Here, our rural winter landscape consists of oak studded hills carpeted in bright green grasses. In rainy years, that is. In drought years, we have brown hills. Never snow. This wonderful poem makes me long for one winter with snow!

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Thank you, Dan. Beautiful thoughts You always have special wisdom to put down . 💘 ❄

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I have always enjoyed winter, walking in deep snow as a child and skiing and cross country skiing with my family. I am older now and living in Texas, so my perspective on winter is changing. I related to the poem you chose and thank you for the posting.

Your thoughts led me to remember that from childhood into young adulthood, my favorite season was Autumn. I loved the colors and the slight chill of the SE Pennsylvania air. When first introduced in high school to the idea of the change of seasons representing the flow of life, I was concerned that I felt happiest in Autumn. I thought I might have to wait until the Autumn of my life for joy and inner peace. My perspective changed as I experienced life through the perspective of parenting two children and now four grandchildren. I found joy in all of my life's seasons as I have repeatedly in those of nature as experienced in the Northeast and in the South of our nation.

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My father gave me a book of Wallace Stevens poetry as a gift, and a gift it is.

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This poem dovetails with one I just posted for my friends/readers on my blog: http://mickmckellar.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-late-start-on-cold-day.html

In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, especially in the Keweenaw Peninsula, 200+ inches of snow and sometimes 300+ inches of snow is a regular winter experience. I am mostly homebound (my leukemia and lung disease prevent most all travel in very cold weather) and my perspective on the world has changed. I feel like a snowman with a laptop for a companion...

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“How like a winter bath my absence been…”. William Shakespeare in his Sonnet 97 does capture the sense of nostalgia which winter inevitably brings. This winter many are experiencing a separation from ones whom they love and there is a deep yearning for a return to the warmth that” together “brings.

Here , in the mountains of New York State we are fortunate , though at -7 degrees this morning, to have days of sunshine and snow, and that glitter from afar ,which illuminates any SNOWMAN as he tips his top hat to this season which is beautiful in this moment . The moments ahead are only to be discovered!

Thank you for the reflection upon SNOW.

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Such a beautiful poem and metaphor for broadening our perspectives. Thank you!

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Thank you for this wonderful winter poem.

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I love the comments almost as much as I do the Wallace Stevens poem. As I sit in my sun-filled nest in Winter Park, FL, I reflect on how much I have missed being in the snow these past years. Brings back memories of when my daughter was in high school -- we'd get snowed in, make a big pot of bean soup and play endless games of backgammon. I still have the little book with the running score. She is in London with a family of her own now. Reading about the snow makes me miss her.

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Jan 15, 2022·edited Jan 15, 2022

A very nice perspective in comparison to all the negativity around us! There truly is such beauty in a snowy outdoor scene.

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