Like a Garden in the Winter
And the seasons in between.
Hello there! And welcome to Dandelion Seeds, an illustrated newsletter in search of the magic in everyday moments.
Friends, thank you so much to everyone who has shared about a good place you’ve found in the world.
It’s been incredibly grounding to read through your responses — to picture your favorite mountains and beaches, porch swings and oak trees — and I can’t wait to bring our new community edition to life.
But there’s a story I’d like to revisit first.
It’s called “Like a Garden in the Winter,” and I wrote it only six months after Jose and I moved to Antwerp.
Today, we are once again making our way from Uruguay to Belgium. And as we say goodbye to summer in the Southern Hemisphere and travel back to winter, today feels like a good day to remember the gifts of this season — and all the seasons in between.
With love,
Candace
*Source: The New York Times
I felt every word you wrote. How our seasons can change from winter to summer in a few hours of seats in the upright and locked position travel, and how we can go from the warmth of family and friends to the cold solitude of a strange new place.
Move after move, from country to country, we disposed of almost everything with each uprooting, except for a couple of U-Haul boxes of necessities. Adventures in Moving, those boxes promised. It felt liberating to leave it all behind.
All except the books. They are the red winter berries that stayed on my leafless branches. They are my minds conversations, learning moments, travel companions, souvenirs, consolation, and the tangible remnants of my inner life.
The books remain.
Thank you. I needed to hear this right now, as literal and metaphorical winter deepens in America. I can be like a garden in winter, strong and beautiful, and I can be the buds that help spring come again.