That said, my journaling through November and December—and especially my trip to Colorado for Christmas—was genuinely helpful. Winter has its purpose, and that theme poured out through both my lyrics and my musings. I still never want to forget little Pearl and Hester Prynne at the babbling brook in The Scarlet Letter. Pearl dances and delights in it, while Hester hears only sorrow in its murmur. The stream speaks differently to each because it reflects what each carries inside.
That same idea stands at the opening of Thanatopsis: Nature speaks a “various language,” according to the condition of the soul that listens. She does not change—but we do. And so the echo changes.
This has been, by grace, a good beginning. Colorado nudged me early into my annual ritual of fitness and cleaner eating, an attempt to undo a fall filled with football food and holiday laziness. In the South, fall and football always mean too much good food, and eating isn’t just pleasure—it’s comfort. When we win, I eat to celebrate; when we lose, I eat to commiserate. Pullovers and quarter-zips help hide an ever-widening girth, until I can almost hear my old friend Randy Overstreet saying, “It ain’t right for a boy to blow up like that.”
But I’m back in a routine—helped along by movement, thin air, and the reminder that I simply feel better when I exercise and eat well.
Better still, I’ve begun a new Bible reading. For reasons I can’t fully explain, the Lord has drawn me to Ezekiel—and it has been marvelous so far.
Never doubt the reality of the Lord. He is active. He is present. He loves me deeply. I sin greatly—but the light is brighter than the darkness.
Here it is—the Year of Our Lord, 2026.
Let’s see what adventures lie ahead.
Let me know how you are doing- jayopsis@gmail.com
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