I’ve just finished reading the wonderful book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May, and her beautiful book reminds me why winter is such a precious time of year for me.

Her story is a poetic memoir, an investigation of her inner and outer worlds. Most poignantly, the book opens with a courageous revelation of her inner-world struggles — a nosedive into fear and uncertainty as her husband faces a grave health challenge, her 6-year-old son refuses to return to school, and she herself makes the radical decision to leave the security of her teaching position amid an emotional crisis that demands silence, sleep, and a steady diet of reflection and self-exploration.