January 1

Last night the wind began to blow. It woke me. Loud, pushing wind. Wind that moves the weather. That I could tell, even in the dead of night. And with the onslaught of this Winter Wind, all the beautiful warm days of December disappeared. Iowa knows it's January now. The season has arrived.

Now, I watch the wind continue to blow outside my window. It would not surprise me if a branch snapped in front of my eyes. The trees move like sea-coral, scraping the house as they are dragged forward by this grasping wind. Cold has come.

I am not excited for the cold, but it seems fitting that even the weather knows it is a new day, a new month, a new year.

Ring out wild bells. Ring out.

*****

Today, E was so excited to share Primary with M. (It was M's first day as a Sunbeam.) She took M into sharing time all by herself. She loves "Big Sister" moments, and made sure to tell her all the fun things that would make up for not having snacks like the nursery kids.

M was proud to help her sister too. When getting ready for Church, E could not find her scriptures... so off we went. No one quite believed M when she claimed she'd found them in the chapel, but there they were. Quite the hero.

Grant got lost after Church. Sometimes it can drive a peerson crazy that the Church is built in a "u" shape. Around and around we went, and he probably did too. When we finally found him, we asked: "Where were you?" He thought for a moment before saying, with a shrug: "I don't know." He didn't seem too worried.