Sunrise at Neddow’s Bay
Sunshine in the winter! Yes! It has made this winter extra lovely. Has is been cold? Yes, it has. Could we have had more snow? Yes, we could. Could we all use so more Vitamin D? Actually yes, we could! Many people these days have a Vitamin D deficiency which is astounding, but not surprising. With the increase in sunscreen to protect us from skin cancer, (and as you all know we redheads burn something fierce! I won’t bore you with the whole story of being on the French rivera back in the mid-ninties and falling asleep on the beach…thinking I had covered all of my body. Needless to say, my poor little shins got a baking that day! Just the air moving by them the next few days brought tears of pain to my eyes!) the less our bodies have the opportunity to soak up Vitamin D naturally. We have found all sorts of information on the web when we google Vitamin D. I take it now and give it to my kids. It seems to help fight off sickness and boost my immune system (The raw garlic in The Redheads hummus has also helped keep me and my family healthy this winter!). I also feel a bit more energy! Talk to your doctor and see what they say about this magic vitamin and see if you need a natural boost, especially in these wintery months!
Sun rays over Lake Leelanau!
“Depends on how you look and which way” lyric from Stand Tall by S.F. Landry Ryder
I also tip my hat to the winter for it’s brisk beauty and it begging me to take a big deep breath and go “inside”. I find this hibernation time of fire places, board games, and slower paced moments simple & refreshing. I love the brilliant stillness of woods on a snowshoe, as if I can hear the magical secrets quietly swaying in the wind. I love the soft chill brushing my cheeks, leaving the bright color of red like the berries that are left scatteringly on the bushes this time of year. It is the ebb and flow, ying~yang, the light and the dark. I have always been attracted to the contrast of life…the contrast of black, white and grays perhaps why I was so drawn to black and white photography…why I loved dodging and burning in the dark room to reach the perfect contrast. So delicate is the balance of all these colors, these contrasts. I have also been aware of the exquisite value of the seasons. Growing up in Leelanau county has surely molded my internal clock. It seems to help time slow into each moment instead of one incredible blur of a week, or month or year. With each year passing, I certainly feel it goes faster and faster…and people older than I say it seems to keep speeding up that way. I am asking myself to slow down and truly experience each moment, surely a life long “practice”!
Blue sky with sunshine over the break wall, Leland Harbor.
So for today, and most days I latch on to being grateful for each moment. I am grateful for the seasons, the contrast, the light and the dark. I honor the times I am shaded in a darker gray, and send love, light and strength to those who also experience those darker moments and who are in the thick of it. I also ask myself to seek the lighter shades, and know that with out this contrast, depth would be felt less and growth would be more limited. I am grateful for Sunshine in Winter~
Peace, light, love, laughter and the beauty of contrast for you all~
Sarah
P.S. My little sunshines through all the seasons!
