There is a lot of heat in this wood pile. The first time it made someone warm was on a fall day when he or she swung an ax for a few hours. It will make a whole room full of people cozy when it burns in the fireplace.

We made a fire this week. While I did not personally chop the logs I am grateful to the person who did. Perhaps I do my part in making quilts that keep other folks warm. The fire pulled us all close to the hearth as we read or drank cocoa. The twins and I took turns adding logs and poking it. 

Keeping a marriage from freezing is work. This week a woman told me her husband is leaving her. My heart sank. They have often come to the conference, though they skipped the past couple of years. I grieve for her and for him. 

I would gladly bring over a quilt or an armload of logs if it would entice them to cuddle up on the couch together and talk... or rather listen. 

Recently I tried to help a couple hear each other using the tool called the Five Yeses, and was sad to see that listening had slipped out of her skill set. Although he spoke from the heart for five minutes, she could not recall enough to ask a question. Her own monologue had overcrowded the queue of her brain. 

The person who stacked all this wood knew that cold was coming. It seems to be the way the seasons turn.