Scampering through the snow

Up trees and over logs

Across the forest floor

Into cozy burrows and back out again

Making their own paths

Weaving between trees

Bounding through the stillness

In the quiet forest of winter

There is movement

There is life

Even in the cold

Even in the scarcity

Even in the swirling snow of winter

Animals gather, forage, collect, and store

Resting in their dreys

Life

Life at a slower pace

Just when I think I’m alone there in the forest

Knee-deep in snow

I’m reminded someone else was here, in this very spot

A deer

Only hours before

Crossed through the woods and into the field nearby

Foraging, seeking shelter

Woodpecker holes with pieces of bark scattered on the snowy ground

Fox tracks show the path of the evening hunt

Squirrel tunnels in the snow, searching for food

As a child I’d often imagine the animals,

Warm in their dens

Fern leaf blankets on their beds of moss

A toadstool table tucked in the corner

Acorn mugs steaming with pine cone tea

A basket of collected winter berries

Offered to any guest who steps inside

A pine needle broom leaning against the wall

Next to a stack of kindling to stoke the fire

Keeping the little burrow warm

All winter long

Snow tunnels joining homes

A calm world in the midst of winter

Gatherings filled with warmth, singing, laughter, and love

So much life under the frozen forest floor

Animal tracks in the quiet winter forest

Somehow have a way of reminding me:

There is life in the midst of this season of rest

They remind me to quiet my pace

Slow enough to daydream

Slow enough to let my imagination wander

Slow enough to be a child again

Enthralled with the wonder of winter