Light deprivation causes depression, they say. It helps to go outside and not stay indoors all the time. That’s the advice the locals give when you move to the North country. It’s good ad-vice. When I lived in Alaska I found a full-spectrum lamp helped, too, that and quilting. I loved to quilt and in Alaska it is big winter sport. I joined the Quilter’s Guild and we met every Tuesday evening in the Elementary School library for three hours of quilting, tea, and conversation. It im-proved my disposition immensely. So, if you are wondering if it would be worth the effort to come out for a film, a class, or Sunday services, just go for it! It helps and your presence will be a gift for others.

There is a special beauty in winter to be savored. I remember Alaska, when the winter sky sparkled under a blanket of stars that seem dull in the lower forty-eight by comparison. The snow on the mountains acts as a reflector and less competition with city lights is also a factor. Alaskans refer to the rest of the country as “the lower forty-eight” like Alaska is a separate country. Many Alaskans travel to Hawaii in the winter for a little break from the cold, dark days. They refer to leaving their home state as “going outside.” The first time someone asked me if I was going outside this winter, I was baffled. Of course I’m going outside! How else do you get to work or the grocery store? Funny, I’ve lived in a lot of places and I think the most unique for odd expressions were Alaska and South Carolina. In South Carolina they might say, “Are you going off today?” Or to describe someone in a bad mood, “She has her butt on her shoulder today!” And, I loved this one, “I carried Mama to the store this morning.” Hilarious! Here’s a warning for you Midwesterners, if you asked a Southerner for a pop, you might just get what you asked for! They call “pop” soda.

I cherish my memories of living in Alaska. I think the long winters were the hardest part, but I am so grateful for the wildlife and beautiful scenery that I was privileged to enjoy. I saw eagles every day and that experience never be-came “Ho Hum” for me. Eagles are a treat to observe on a regular basis. Winter is the best time to see them because they come into town in the winter and go further out in the wilderness during summer months. The same is true for Moose. The eagles enjoyed wind surfing over the Bay with snow covered Mt. Alice in the background and one day I saw over one hundred sailing back and forth and over and under through the air. Watching them swoop down on a fish with amazing accuracy from hundreds of feet above was a stunning sight.

Once, Leslie and I were given a tour of the Harding Ice Field in a very small, rickety bush plane. It was the first time I truly realized how small our little community was compared to the vast expanse of fro-zen wilderness surrounding us. It was humbling, to say the least. Seward is located on Resurrection Bay in the Kanai Peninsula and is surrounded by ten mountain tain peaks and summits. During the time I lived in Sew-ard I saw Sea Lions, Otters (both river and sea), Brown and Black Bear, Mountain Goats, Dall Sheep, Moose (LOTS of Moose), Eagles, Puffin, scores of Orca, Humpback Whales, and Caribou, and Bison, and spe-cies of birds I’ll never be able to remember.

I feel very fortunate to have lived in Alaska. I got to see the Northern Lights a few times They were exciting but fleeting, and the times I saw them they were mostly just greenish. But one night after coming home from a school play, the winter sky began to dance with the most amazing colors for hours. Strips of vivid color whipped across the sky like a laser light show in shades of green, red, purple, pink, and yellow. It was like a miracle! Everyone in town stood outside in their yards for as long as they could stand the cold, thinking it would stop soon, like it normally did. It didn’t. The aurora borealis gods and goddesses (named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the wind, Boreas) showed off long into the wee hours of the morning, and only the young were hardy enough to stay awake until it finally wore itself out.

This memory reminds me to be alert to the times, albeit rare, that life presents us with the gift of surprise and delight even at those times when we are bracing ourselves for a very long, cold, dark winter. If we aren’t open to these moments, they are easily missed. Life can be filled with delicious moments of surprise and delight when we least expect it! Go out-side (maybe I should say “outdoors”) and enjoy yourself this winter!

See you in church.

In faith and love, Cathy