winter saves what is pure

I love to see when leaves depart,

The clear anatomy arrive,

Winter, the paragon of art,

That kills all forms of life and feeling

Save what is pure and will survive.

Roy Campbell

I had a poster with this first stanza  of the poem "Autumn" hanging on my wall for a few years when I was 12-16 years old.  There was a beautiful picture of a train winding it's way through a mountain pass with naked trees.  I bought it from a book club in the 6th grade for $1.   Little did I know the impact the poster and poem would have on my development as a person.

I was asked to give a 'thought' in my family home evening group as a freshman in college.  Like some freshmen, I was struggling with issues of independence, friendship,  boyfriends, etc.  The world was crashing in.  This poem came to mind.  I realized how important this stanza was to me, as I interpreted it to mean that trials make us better.  Make us pure.  Strip us of superficiality and vanity.  Keep us humble. Bring us to who we really are. It brought to me the realization that our suffering is the sanctification of our souls.  In a sense, a beautiful process, because it makes us stronger, better, and more close to our Father in Heaven. 

I don't really look forward to the season of winter, or the winter-like phases of my life, but realize the outcome is worth it.  Spring with flowers that knock your socks off, sun and clear skies. There is a sadness and disappointment when some of my plants don't make it through the winter, but I realize my garden is better and more beautiful with those that have survived.  

Just like me.  And just like you.

How have your winters made you a better person....