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The end of winter brings more color, sunshine, and warmth. It also ushers in Passover, the Week of Unleavened Bread, and then Feast of Weeks not long thereafter. Spring is a busy beautiful time that kicks off the Israelite New Year, and renergizes us after a long winter of… stillness.
Being still in winter is something most people struggle with, even if they don’t realize it. “Seasonal depression”, lack of vitamin D intake (which can destroy the health of a melanated person), and feeling like it’s too cold to get some fresh air.
Winter is that time where we look out our windows and everything seems dead and lifeless. There are no leaves on the branches, no flowers in the bushes, no big wide open blue sky (most days). We become homebodies if we weren’t already, and in doing so, I feel like we realize just how much we’re running away from home.
The pandemic and quarantines showed people… they didn’t like their lives. They didn’t like their spouse, their home, or where they were headed. Only being forced to go home allowed them to see that. There’s a value in stillness and slowness and being at home bored that gives us insight unlike anything else.
I always get sentimental around this time of the year, mainly because it looks so different to me than my childhood. Right now I live in Virginia, near DC, where it snows frequently, infrastructure is built to withstand snow, and I have an elevated view of everything since we live in a mid-rise apartment building.
But growing up in Texas, winters were often still seeing temperatures in the 80s. It snowed very seldom, and when it did, it was a nightmare: power shut-offs, wrecks everywhere because Texans can’t drive in snow, people sicker than ever because they don’t have proper “snowy” winter clothes. Total ick.
What I do remember about those seasons as a child, was my mother bundling me up with gloves and a hat. Making me and my siblings homemade soup from scratch. Turning up the gas heaters and fireplaces until we were sweating (I thank God for a mother who could never be too hot in winter!). It was all the things that made life cozy.
That’s why this is my favorite time of the year. Even though I am indoors sometimes for weeks at a time without ever stepping out. Even though I end up kicking the blankets off at night because it’s too hot to sleep with the heat on full blast. Even though I do go outside and end up having to return inside early because it was much colder than I thought. This is still my favorite time of the year, because I actually love my home.
I love my life. I love my family. I am in love with my husband. I love my mismatched oven mitts. I love my cabinets with some handles hanging on for dear life. I love the bleachy smell that lingers no matter what I do because the managers cleaned the carpets a day before we moved in. I love my messy closet, and my sons chaotic play corner and my husband’s makeshift workspace on the couch where he eats and takes meetings and scrolls Instagram when he should be doing something else.
I am not running from home. There was a season where I wanted to be out more. Actually, last winter. I found myself angry that it was simply too cold for me to take the baby out as much as I wanted. I hated being at home many days, and I felt guilty about it. Part of me felt resentment when my husband walked out of the door, even though he was just going to work. Still, I wanted to be able to get up and go, and run away from the cramped one bedroom apartment we were living in at the time. And though everything wasn’t all bad there, I have to be honest and say it took me a while to start embracing my home during that period.
What was at the core of my running? Well, when I sit and think about it, I’d say the fear of monotony.
monotony /mə-nŏt′n-ē/
noun
– Uniformity or lack of variation in pitch, intonation, or inflection.
– Tedious sameness or repetitiousness.
I was scared to keep making the eggs and oatmeal each morning, washing the same poopy reusable diapers every two days, loading the same dishes into the dishwasher each night, when I could’ve been… I don’t know?
Skiing (I’ve never skied in my entire life).
Ice skating (never done that either).
Hiking near the mountains (Again, I have no experience with that).
I had all these wonders and daydreams and longings in my mind. Let me tell it, I was just simply missing out. I’m not even sure what changed in me or what Yah did in my heart. I do remember I specifically started praying in gratitude with more gratitude for my life. Because that apartment was an answered prayer. I was just glad to be out of my in-law’s basement.
Aren’t you living in an answered prayer right now? Even though it’s not all perfect, and might even look lifeless like the trees outside… Hasn’t Yah been good to you?
A Few Ways to Embrace the Slowness of Winter as a Homemaker/Housewife
Put Your Phone Away
When is the last time you were able to sit for hours without a screen to your eyes?
I’m not judging you, trust me. My phone is like a third hand most days. But on the days where I put it aside, I have more peace. No phone means no seeing awful nonstop headlines, no looking at other people’s curated Instagram lives, and no constantly being sold this product and that product. The constant input is exhausting and not normal for our brains considering the last thousands of years of human existence.
The first step to embracing the slowness of winter while you’re at home, is appreciating right where you are. And if you start appreciating where you are, but you pick up your phone, you will see something that puts you right back at square one.
Instead of scrolling and looking at your phone, or doing anyting at all, try being bored. Just sitting there in silence for a few minutes. No TV or music or books. You’ll start noticing things you were once too preoccupied to see. In the best possible way.
Play With Your Children
A lot of moms struggle with this. Working moms and stay-home moms both have this in common: we can’t seem to just get on the floor, give our kids our full attention, and actually play with them. Not just for five or ten minutes, but for up to an hour. We are always thinking about the to-do list, dinner, bills.
Our minds are constantly humming. But the best way to overcome a busy mind is not to trying to immediately harness it and transform our minds (that only happens through Scripture). We overcome busy minds by simply ignoring it and doing what is GOOD. Even if it’s inconvenient.
And it is good to be with your children. Sometimes I feel like mine are going to drive me crazy. But if I’m bored, then they are bored, and that’s an opportunity to make a memory together.
Color with them. Build Lego block towers. Count the toy cars. Read with them. Similarly, you could take it outdoors: spend 5 minutes on a treasure hunt outdoors, finding anything interesting like pine cones, leaves, dried wildflowers, etc, then bring them in and give them a special place.
Playing with our kids doesn’t have to be fancy, because it’s about what they want, not what we want. Kids don’t want or need fancy. They just need Mama.
Bake and Cook from Scratch
When everything is slower, you have nowhere to go and nothing to do, it’s time to create from scratch.
This should be every homemakers time to shine! How cozy can you make your home? Can you make a casserole, a pot of chili, a hearty soup, a pot pie?
I just feel like there’s no better time of the year than winter to show off your skills, fill your home with the smell of fresh bread and fresh deserts, and make a mess in the kitchen. Because it makes the most impact. Soup warms us up. Fresh bread soothes the nerves. And haven’t you noticed how excited everyone gets when Mom is in the kitchen, taking her time, whipping up something that got the house smelling like Big Mama’s on Sunday after church? That anticipation makes the food taste better. That anticipation doesn’t always exist when we are rushing through meal prep with frustration and resentment.
Even if you must make the same meals you made last week. This week, we had so much ground turkey in the freezer, I pulled it out for turkey burgers. But I didn’t realize it was like 3 pounds!? So we have literally been eating turkey burgers everyday for four days now.
You don’t need new in order to have good. Whose to say you can’t change the seasoning, cook it in a different pot or pan, or enhance your technique?
I put my burgers on my indoor grill instead of in a skillet. Delicious! There’s always opportunities to make the mundane more interesting if only we would be fully present first!
Wake Up Early for Bible Time
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
– Joshua 1:8
I could list the endless benefits of reading the Bible, and the benefits of doing so early in the morning, while everyone else still rests.
- It gets us out of bed and energized for the day
- It brings us into peaceful fellowship with Yahuah and the Holy Spirit
- It brings us into divinely inspired prayer
- It sets the tone for the rest of the day
- It gives us a Scripture meditation to focus on
- It shows us where we can improve, surrender and be still in our walks
- It renews our strength so that we can keep doing the mundane to the Glory of Yah
And so much more. Waking early to spend time with Yah is the one part of my life that’s not completely monotonous. Because His Word is living and powerful, and being in His Presence looks different each day. Some mornings, I am journaling the Scriptures, doodling, and having a structured study based on one topic or chapter. And some mornings, He has me put those things away and He convicts me about my behavior or a prayer need in my home.
Often as homemakers, we spend days on end not seeing or interacting with anyone outside of our own children until our husbands are home from work. We are craving social interaction, a place to vent, a listening ear, wise advice, compassionate embrace, and someone who thinks of us as we are constantly thinking of everyone else’s needs. I’m here to say we can find all of that in Yahuah.
Suffice it to say, I notice that on the days that I spend time in Scripture with Yah, I am much softer, sweeter, and patient with my family and home. But more importantly than what Scripture provides for me, it’s all about worshiping Yahuah and glorifying Him. We can be so caught up in doing various things that we think will please the Lord. But one of the best slaughter offering and sacrifice is the fruit of the lips!
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
– Hebrews 13:15
Get Back to Your Hobbies
Hobbies tend to slip away as we mature and grow our family and the seasons change. We put away reading, knitting, or even working out, so that we can be there for our family. Or so that we can rest. Personally, I am a reader. But there was once a point in my life where reading was getting in the way of my chores, focus, and devotion, so it had to go.
I feel like I’m only now entering a period wherein reading is a nice treat again. Not the center of my world, not the first thing I do when I wake up or last thing I do before falling asleep. But something I get to do when the time is right. Or when I make time.
When you’ve put your phone away, you’ve played with your children, you made a hearty meal this winter, get into a cozy space and do something that engages you. Do something artistic. Have your workout. Journal. Crochet or do a puzzle or study a language or paint/doodle. Whatever you do, put your phone aside and go analog for a while. The years can really slip away from us, and we can look up and wonder, “Where has my life gone?”
I’m here to tell you, you spent it on that phone!!! Get off that phone and LIVE. Or get off that phone and be present. There’s a whole life to live outside of that phone. A whole life to live right there at home. You’ve got a world to explore right there in your own home. Books, boardgames, toys and gadgets. Teach your dog a new trick. Go watch birds in your backyard. Follow an art tutorial from YouTube, or draw something you see in your home that you appreciate or think is beautiful.
Life is so beautiful when we live it.
Winter is so beautiful when we stop expecting it to be spring, summer, or autumn, and just appreciate it for what it is. I think of how nature goes to sleep, and how many animals hibernate during this period. They understand this is not the time for worry or restlessness. But winter is a true time of renewal, restoration, and reflection. It’s an especially critical time to prepare for the Biblical New Year in spring, by giving our bodies and families time to relax and slow down.
One of the most important things we will ever do for our health, is learn when to rest. Especially since this is a commandment of Yah.
I’m not perfect at slowing down, or embracing a slow life. But I truly hope Yahuah can help my heart be more present in the life He’s given me. I’m thankful to be able to grow with you as well, and share my hourney.
I hope you enjoyed this article. And I hope your winter is full of joy, comfort, memories with your loved ones, and a sense of renewal.
