It might seem strange to some when I say that winter is one of my favorite times to be in the woods.
Gone is the threat of poisonous snakes, yellow jacket nests, and those pesky gnats and mosquitos. With the leaves down, more distant vistas are opened up.
I go to the woods to listen to the “quiet,” another statement that some might find odd. There is a stillness in the woods then that is soothing and restful to the soul.
Perhaps Christ was talking to us – and not just the wind – when in Mark 4:39 he said, “Peace be still” or “We found it in the fields of the wood” in Psalm 132:6. Perhaps it was this peace and solitude that they found.
This time of year – if you know the woods – you can go places that you will be virtually assured of seeing no one else. The woods are so quiet that if you hear any sound at all, it will be the birds or the wind in the tree tops – which is fine, for that is restful also.
The poet Robert Frost apparently understood listening to the quietness of the woods. He makes reference to that in his poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, written in 1922. He speaks of hearing the wind and it being so quiet that he could hear the snowflakes falling.
After a year of coronavirus and losing loved ones from both sides of the family and other friends, I welcome this peace granted by God through my love for the woods.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star.