Spring is Here!

Is it spring yet?

I am exercising faith today.  You know the "substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" and I am hereby declaring that winter is over! 

I am done with snow.  Done with cold.  Done with bone chilling wind.  Done with shoveling.  Done with the whole kit and kaboodle! 

I declare that spring is on the way!  It is, after all, the morning we Spring our Clocks ahead and that's a harbinger of longer sunlight days, which assumes we will have sunlight.  That's a spring thought.

It is also March which is the month when Spring arrives on the calendar. 

The average temperatures start to change in Spring, too.  Gradually warming until the snow is melted and flowers start to push up through the ground.

I'd like to declare this as a Spring season in my life as a whole, too. 

If you have read my book, A Friend Named Jesus, you know I see life in seasons.  Winter is closed in and lonely, sometimes.  Spring, on the other hand, is full of promise, change, newness, good news. 

I'm ready for that Spring, too. 

Winter causes me to be too much alone gives too much time for introspection, self-doubt, insecurities.  Too much time for wondering what if - not enough time for basking in the blessings of the season.

I am ready to see some promises break forth!

In light of all of that, I have made some minor changes to the website to include a chapter from Spring and a link to the Kindle Ebook editions of both of my books.  If you're of a mind, wander over and check that out here:  KrisANewman.webs.com

I would also note that the latest edition of the Chippewa Valley's 5ive for Women magazine is on the stands.  It includes the stories of several exceptional women, some of whom I was privileged to interview.  You can also find it online by following this link:  5ive for Women Magazine

So, there ya have it.  I hereby do therefore declare it is Spring! 

Walk in the Light

I live so close to my church that I walk to church – snow, rain, cold – I walk. I really couldn’t park much closer than I live so there is no point in driving. Mostly, I enjoy it. It gives me a little space to put away home and get my mind ready for church. I love church, by the way, which you already know if you know me at all.


The sky was so intensely blue, the sun so intensely bright and the snow so intensely white that it actually hurt my eyes. I was teared up and struggling to see where to place my feet as I walked. Maybe you have walked in a light as bright, too? Well, this is how my writer’s eyes lived the moment….

My eyes are tired. They are puffy and dark and small and full of unbidden tears. The brightness of the sun makes me look away and down. Instinct tells me it’s too bright! I can’t see before me. I can’t open my eyes. Not only the sun is bright, but the snow reflects that light and throws snowflakes at me formed on the wind. They dart at me like tiny daggers pushing me back.

I want to shield myself from the brilliance, do something to stop the burning. I should have just stayed inside, tucked away, in my dark, quiet, space.

But I need to go to church.

I can’t stay where I am if I’m going to grow. I need to be fed by the community that is church.

I need some iron to brush against me and rough off the edges. I need some gentle voices to fill the empty places. I need to have someone touch me, hug me, tell me they are glad I’m here! I need someone to pull away the aloneness and give me value.

I need to tell someone they make me smile, to give encouragement to someone else, to let them hear me pray, to sing, to share the joy He brings.

I understand the sharpness of the light. I know the scientific implications. My mind is wrapped around it.

I know why I must leave my little apartment behind and get through it.

But recognizing and living are two different things. No one can walk through the light for me. No one can clean the burn – only my tears can clear my vision. No one can keep walking for me. I must see where I need to be and I must do what it takes to get there.

Walking through the brilliance, I see His majesty at a whole new level.

The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out. John 1:5, The Message

Winter Walking

I love winter. January is my favorite month.

The year is new and full of promise in January. Anything can happen.

Christmas crumbs spill over into each day.

My birthday is in January when I get to be queen for a day… or a week if I can pull it off.

I know, you’re saying, are you crazy? You live in Wisconsin! Snow and more snow and negative double digits on the thermometer. What’s so great about that?

Cold. Tucked inside. Alone. Safe from the elements. Without fear of intrusion.

I like it.

If I want to, I can hide behind winter’s cloak. There’s nowhere to go when it’s so cold outside. One ought to stay in, to themselves.

No fear of offense in winter because you see no one.

Unless you choose to.

If you go out and about, it’s on purpose.

You can share quick laughter ducking between doors and cars. Opportunities for kindness abound when cars must be shoveled out and brushed off. It’s easy to share a shiver. No one cares what you look like beneath the layers.

Best of all? You can walk in a wonderland of glitter – a snow globe tipped for your enjoyment.

Snow. Layers and layers of billowy glitter sparkling against the midnight sky. Lighting even the darkest dark with an ethereal neon shine.

I breathe better in winter. The air is clear, crisp, concise.

And stars sparkle differently in winter. Sinking beneath the weight of the frosty air, they stud the midnight sky with diamonds.

I hold it to myself like a selfish child on Christmas Day.

I know it won’t last. None of it will. It will have to be shared and given away eventually. Back to the earth from whence it came. Adding to the water table to provide a foundation for spring.

The snow will melt. The days will lengthen. The doors will have to be opened.

But for today? I spread my arms wide and embrace the majesty of the winter night.

The Book of Pages About Crossing Bridges by Kris A. Newman is available through the
Estore at krisanewman.webs.com. 
Come on by.  Read a bit.  Leave a note.  Order a book.  Or just stop in and wave hello. 
You're very welcome.  - Kris