“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.”

Last week A.J. and I traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland to spend Thanksgiving with his dad and sister.  It was a lovely few days with them, sharing hugs, smiles, laughter, wine, and, of course, Whisky.  Not only were he and I blessed to be with family on Thanksgiving, but the four of us shared in the first snowfall of the season.  I always seem to forget how magical that first snowfall really is, marking the beginning of a joyful Christmas season.

Our winter white invite to Edinburgh

Throughout the duration of our trip, I couldn’t quite place my finger on why it is I loved that first snowfall so much.  In any given year, I’m ready to say goodbye to winter the first time the temperature drops below forty degrees.  But, this year, it is different.  Pleasantly different.

After some stressful and seemingly treacherous driving conditions due to the snow while in Scotland, I expected myself to resent the snow that greeted me upon my return to Reutlingen.  Yet, as I write this blog, I am staring out at the snowy mountains and find it more beautiful than ever before.  It’s been an unusually quiet weekend here in Reutlingen, so quiet, in fact, that as I look out my window it’s as if I can actually see the silence.  The silence of Winter that usually causes me such restlessness has now transformed into peacefulness.

While it is probable that I am welcoming winter with such warmth because that means home is now near, I’d like to think that it’s a result of this semester’s learned lessons.  The past four months have led me to find the beauty in almost anything.  In silence, peace.  In longing, hope.  And in affliction, faith.  And so I’m left where I started:

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.” (The Desiderata Poem)