“The frosty air stings one’s face, prickles in one’s nose, sets all the blood to racing warmly. The snow creaks and snaps under one’s feet, and the sunshine on the silvery fields is blinding to the eyes. This I know well: that the chief part of every life consists of small things. If we have not learned how to live with them and enjoy them, we have not learned to live.”
~ David Grayson, The Countryman’s Year
Good things in January:
On New Year’s morning, a strawberry sunrise and strawberries on a pancake
West County Mall, which will always smell of warm pretzels and the rubber of the escalators
Gathering artwork from Papa Larry’s collection for mine and Jared’s home; a winter bridge scene and a still life by William Harnett
“All My Love” music video by Coldplay with Dick Van Dyke
Sunday snow day—organizing, sewing, cutting patches of fabric, visiting, shoveling, reading
Limbs encrusted with ice, like glass things in a museum
Evening church service before the snowstorm
Talking with Molly about knitting
Licking envelopes
Starting the week with a deep snow, everyone off work, and shoveling, shoveling, shoveling, then coming in to a hot turkey sandwich for lunch
Sitting by the fireside with Mom and Janaya, copying recipes into my binder
Laying out and stitching pennants for a wedding banner
A broken oven door that we had to sit in a chair against to bake anything
Three days to be snowed in and learn how to cook tomato soup, sweet potatoes, chicken, beef, and rice
Trying on my wedding dress
Coffee and conversation with Kelly
Walking through an auction, picking out things for our home to bid on, like kettles, glasses, and quilts
Leanna bringing the kids to stay for the weekend and a snow day with a bouncy birthday boy
Pancakes, presents, a stomp rocket, building a nine-foot snow bear, sledding, and “a birthday cake with strawberries on top” — all in all, a romping good time
Papa showing me how to stoke the woodstove that heats his shop in the basement
Jared sending a book in the mail, Everyday Gospel by Paul Tripp
Side-by-side driving and tubing in a snowy field
A visit with Hannah and meeting baby Owen
The Victrola that came in the mail and an old Bach record from a resale shop
Morning workouts when the garage is still dark, and a cold, bright sunrise run
Family roadtrip and work weekend on our home in Arkansas
Seventeen people sleeping in our future home, hanging beadboard, running wires, installing fans, kiddos playing in closets and running across the yard, Jared’s parents stuffing the fridge and pantry to feed us all
Barrett and Elanor, otherwise known as Piggles & Giggles
A cabinet full of thrifted dishes
Mealtimes, when everyone paused their work, filled paper plates, and all the kiddos crammed around the table in the breakfast nook
Rain at dusk being burned away by the fading light; painting trim in the garage and listening to the rain
When it was all said and done, fresh, white beadboard bringing the kitchen walls in close
Grackles and blackbirds high in the bare trees
Rachel The Neighbor Cow’s new calf
The talk before Wednesday night Bible study, about keeping chickens warm and when they’ve molted
Visiting Ann, and her stories about life out in Oklahoma, where the cows roamed right up to the back porch
Saturday pancakes, clearing out the garden boxes, a picnic lunch on a fallen log alongside a creek, pickleball, a bookstore and vinyl shop, and dinner at the Pasta Grille to celebrate two years of togetherness
bethanyjlincks.com 
I’m reading Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp!
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It’s so good!
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