Winter Mornings
In spring and summer, my life revolves around essential oil bug spray, irrigation timers, and which pair of overalls are clean. Every surface of my home is a gathering place for random piles of fresh produce and vases of zinnias and wildflowers. As much as I miss those things (sans the bug bites), I actually crave winter now, with all its blast of cold air and slower rhythms.
Swirls of steam circling from pottery mugs at the farm table.
The luxury of a creamy, fried egg over medium from pastured chickens who live outside the back door.
Beeswax candles with their drip-less golden glow.
Natural morning light through the window that illuminates my journal pages.
Growing up in New Jersey, this was all kind of flip-flopped. We prayed for February to pass quickly, and summer felt more like a relief. Winter had its magical moments, like potentially snowing on Christmas or Christmas Eve, but mostly it was brutal. There’s no canceling of anything in New Jersey unless it’s a full-on blizzard. I had to walk to school (uphill, both ways, of course 😏) in snow regularly. If I close my eyes, I can still almost feel how frigid it was to walk across the high school soccer field and then the welcomed blast of hot air in my face as I entered the side door of the school and began to thaw.
So I don’t want to miss winter by pining away for spring and flowers and warmth. In contrast with other seasons, winter mornings are a slow unraveling of the day - the light is different, less intense. It’s a more gentle welcome into the tasks and work before us. But if we’re not careful, we’ll blow through winter grumbling and complaining - too much mud at the back door, too many clothes to layer, and too much bad weather.
Starting our days with a predictable morning routine in the winter months helps us slow down and savor the season, rather than trying to get through it.
Here’s how my morning routine goes lately:
6:00am - Wake up and open the bedroom blinds to let the light in. Start the electric hot water kettle in the dining room if Steven hasn’t already - he’s almost always up before me.
Get out my journal and book I’m reading, usually a spiritual formation book of some kind (currently Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer).
6:15am - Froth some coconut milk or heavy whipping cream. Don’t judge unless you’ve ever added frothed cream to your coffee or tea. Ahem. Add some vanilla creme stevia or raw honey to the mug.
Make French press coffee or a teapot of yerba mate and pour it into a pottery mug. Check out this Reels showing how I make it! Full recipe with variations and other ideas are in my book coming out in April. ☕️
Lately I’ve been listening to a short online devotional from our church’s app and reading a passage in The Passion Translation. The beauty of that translation is astounding, and I love how the Bible app shows you extra info about each passage, including original Greek language for much deeper understanding. A few things I’ve learned lately:
God’s word gives us true life and “radiant health” - a health much deeper than just physical.
The crops in my field and the trees on my land are filled with joy.
7:00am -Make sure the kitchen is ready for helping my daughters with breakfast whenever they wake up, which is usually shortly after this. Some mornings I eat brunch around 10:30am, and some mornings I change it up and have some eggs fried in coconut oil first thing in the morning depending on how I feel.
7:30am - The girls eat breakfast (usually oatmeal for my oldest, and some variation of eggs for my youngest), get dressed, and we get ready to start our school day.
8:00am - River Lake Sunshine School begins. I’ve changed our school rhythm lately, too, and it’s been so much better (another blog post on that coming soon!).
And the morning is off and running!
P.S. Best holidays-into-winter purchase ever for the table? This live wreath ring from Trader Joe’s that I got sometime in mid November which lasted for months. It’s now fire pit kindling, but I have to say it was some of the best $8 I’ve ever spent.
