Frederick

I was reminded of this book when my son wrote that one of the things he was grateful for was color. The story is about a family of field mice preparing for winter. The mice worked hard to gather food and supplies for winter, except one mouse, Frederick. Frederick chose to prepare for winter in another way: gathering sun rays for the cold dark winter days, gathering colors for the gray winter, gathering words for the long winter days.

Once winter hit, the mice happily went through all their supplies, but soon they were cold and without food. The mice asked Frederick about his supplies. He asked the mice to close their eyes while he talked of the golden glow of the warm sun, the vibrant colors of plants and flowers, and shared his words in poetry.

As we experience the Winter Solstice this week, let's remember that we can carry the warmth, vibrancy, and imagination of the other seasons with us. It's also a time to invite more relaxation into our lives.