The Dark Days of Winter

Food, Water and Fire equals Life

The Power was out, and I was cold.

Not terribly cold - I have a wood stove. But as I poke the fire to stir the flames, I realise: roaring doesn’t keep the house warm if you use up all the wood at once. We have plenty of wood, but memories of 2021 are a reminder of what it means to live and die by whether or not you can start the fire, then keep it going, then have the next log ready to go…

what if the wood runs out?

Even in the lap of Plenty, I fear what it would be like if Plenty just stood up and walked away…

As I ponder the majesty of Texas Ice Storms, I have to consider - how did the Ancestors handle the freezing onslaught? Ice cold hands, busting out the water so the Horses can drink; hauling the water in so the people can drink too… then roasting Potatoes in fireplace ash so all can have a hot meal, then trying to get warm when all the chores are done…

did they think the same thing?

They did.

My Mother grew up as a Sharecropper in a dirt floor shack. The snow drifted in between chinks in the logs to dust the quilts in 1930s Collin County, Texas. Hunger was constant,and Child Labor was expected. No one got a Snow Day except it meant extra work.

Poverty was real.

She survived to become a sophisticated and educated woman; yet for all her life, she kept the pantry stocked, a jug of water full, and a source of fire nearby, even in the city, because Food, Water and Fire equal Life.

She didn’t fear Poverty; she faced it head-on, and conquered it. Whether we had money or not, we were expected to act as if Poverty was waiting in the wings. In Spring, it meant planning a Garden. In Summer, it meant hoeing a row. In Fall, it meant canning squash…

But Winter was a special kind of ritual, with the lighting of Fire, the setting back of Water, then the staring of the Pantry, so one might might appreciate the Bounty of Food, Water and Fire. Mother knew, she knew…

Even with Plenty at the table, Poverty peeks in, awaiting her turn. Prepare a place for her, so when Poverty comes, you still have enough to go around…

Food, Water, and Fire…

Life, even in the Dark Days of Winter.