Magical adjective

According to Webster’s definition “magical” is defined as: relating to, characterized by, or producing magic, extremely pleasant, enjoyable, or exciting

simchah: Original Word: שִׂמְחָה

The Hebrew word for joy means gladness and mirth

Why am I focusing on these two words on this very cold, frigid January morning? Simply put, I love winter. Yes, I am one of those rare people who seldom complains about fall being ushered out with the last falling and color changes of leaves with a few warm days lingering past their usual habit. I absolutely love the first snow that covers my dead decaying flower beds and also adorning every tree branch within my sight. Winter and snow takes me back to childhood memories where my mind can keep me distracted and lost for hours as I reminisce about building snow forts, engaging in snowball fights, skating and sledding for hours…all topics from a past blog I’ve written about if you go back to those posts in 2021.

I find it pure joy at my age (68) to STILL enjoy being outside on a cold day, breathing in the crispness of the air as I walk to the mailbox or venture down the neighboring subdivision road for some exercise. Such was my experience this past Sunday. Around mid afternoon I announced to my husband “I’m going for a walk”. The sun was shining through a beautiful blue sky, the temp was quite cold but I donned my mother’s down jacket from her ice fishing days, put on a skull cap under the massive fur lined hood, clothed my hands with gloves and my feet with warm boots. Off I went, walking down the lane choosing my steps carefully to avoid any icy patches on the pavement. I made my way to the cul de sac which is my “turn” to head back home, following the same distance. The cul de sac has five homes, all surrounded by tall trees, a couple vacant lots for sale, the retention pond, and a large wooded area between two homes; it’s the spot where no trespassing signs are now posted. They may keep out potential invaders, but the animal tracks are all over the snow, and the beauty the woods offers is not off limits to the human eye. I found myself stopping at the edge of the woods and staring into its magical beauty for a long time, and suddenly a blanket of God’s joy not only surrounded me, but filled me inside ready to burst out as though I had been trying to hold it in and squelching its purpose. I stood on the side of the road taking in ALL the senses of what I was feeling and experiencing: cold on my face and up my nose…quiet like I had not heard in a long time….pure white snow broken up by areas of standing water or trampled upon by deer, rabbits, and other critters…the sun on my back, piercing through the cold air to shed warmth on my back and create sparkles that danced across the surface of the perfect blanket of snow…and I. Was. Speechless. For a moment….I broke my silence by saying out loud “Daddy, (in Hebrew it’s Abba) I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here…..” So, for a few more minutes, frozen in time (not literally) I stood and felt God’s presence like I have not in some months. As though it was for only me, I felt as though no one else in the world existed. It was me and Him. I could have cried in response to the amount of love I felt from my Heavenly Father in those moments, but instead I turned my emotions to that of “joy”, meditating on what my afternoon walk had stirred inside me and continued my walk back home.

The magical and joy filled walk on Sunday did not end when I took off my boots, put away my coat and hat….I felt the benefits of that beautiful afternoon Monday morning and now, sitting here at my laptop writing about it, I’m still in awe of how an ordinary walk, down a very familiar road, took on a totally new experience, one I hope I don’t too soon forget.

I don’t believe in magic; I know that magic is trickery and sleight of hand to make our eyes believe we’ve seen something that really isn’t there….I embrace and believe in joy because it can be felt, it produces warmth, smiles, and a burning sensation in the depths of a soul. Joy brings forth messages of love, hope, trust…freedom from worry or fear. 

I highly recommend taking a walk on cold winter days. Try to find a wooded area. Go to a place that isn’t bombarded by the noise of traffic. Get alone. Walk. And then pause…and wait for majestic joy to happen….

Sunday’s afternoon sun producing my shadow turned my 5’ frame into the size of Goliath.