Winter shows up early in North Central Alberta. We’ve had a hard frost and a skiff of snow. Although the first snow melted, It was a reminder of what is yet to come. I’m making a short list for the months ahead. Where I live, and with my limits, winter takes planning. My choices matter.
Stock the heart, not just the pantry
The last few years left a mark. Isolation wasn’t only about closed doors. It shaped how we think and hope. Even now, our emotional muscle memory remembers.
So I’m asking myself, what am I storing up in my heart this winter? Space is limited in my home and in my mind. I have to choose what comes in. What I watch. What I read. What I listen to. Who gets to set the tone of my day.
Choose what strengthens
Winter often isolates, and isolation amplifies whatever is inside. If I live on outrage and bad news, hope thins out. Mindless driftng never leads anywhere healthy. I can choose better. Feed my spirit, not with fear. Find beauty. Laughter. Music that lifts. Stories that call out courage. Slowly digest, rather than fill my brain with too much information. Be kind. Guard my heart without closing it.
Hope is worth tending
Seeds do not stop being seeds because the ground is frozen. Dormant is not dead. Spring is not cancelled because winter is long. Bitterness and resignation do not shorten the season. They only harden the soil.
So I’m choosing what I will store up. Not from fear. Not from denial. But from hope of Spring. I’m pulling out words of encouragement and prophetic words from past seasons to plan for that Spring.
Growth still happens. Even now. Even under the upcoming snow.
When the days get shorter and the quiet stretches feel longer, what is one small thing that helps your heart stay open instead of shutting down?
I genuinely welcome your thoughts. Many of us walk this season without a house full of people. Your wisdom may help someone breathe a little easier.
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Until Next Week,
©2025 Katherine Walden
