The Importance of Wintering Silence

**Wonder*FULL**

January 2026

A Monthly Invitation to This Beautiful Life

with Lynne Hartke

The Full Super Cold Moon arrived in the evening skies on December 4. It carried the name Super because the moon’s orbit was closer to the earth, so that its rising appeared larger and brighter. (Take a walk on January 3 for the Full Super Wolf Moon.)

I wanted to experience a magical walk under moonlit skies and being an early riser, I clipped Sadie into her leash at 5:30 am, grabbed a sweatshirt, and headed outside.

The moon was hanging out over the western horizon. And not only that, Jupiter was also prominent, along with some of the brightest stars in our night skies: Arcturus, Sirius, aka the dog star, and the twin stars in Gemini, both Pollux and Castor.

And while the stars did not disappoint, the lack of silence did.

The city was already awake.

Sirens, traffic, doors slamming, horns honking.

It’s difficult to find silence in a city.

But not so at our cabin in northern Arizona, especially in the winter, and especially after a snowstorm.

Several years ago, we left the valley earlier than we had planned in order to arrive before a predicted snowstorm. We woke up the next day at our cabin to six inches of new snow. Snow fell throughout the morning, until the ground was covered with 10-12 new inches.

We decided to try out our Christmas present to each other—new snowshoes—a gift I never envisioned purchasing when we first moved to Arizona. We bushwacked a path on the Arizona Trail that runs behind the cabin. Our breathing was the only sound in a winter wonderland of snow-ladened pine trees.

A hush had fallen over the entire landscape. We were in surround-sound silence.

And it wasn’t just our imaginations. There are scientific reasons that explain why it is quieter after a fresh snowfall. According to the book, Heaven and Nature Sing, by Hannah Anderson, a snowflake’s six-sided structure creates small spaces—open pockets, that absorb sound waves. Because of this unique shape, snow dampens noise much like foam panels do in a recording studio. The more accumulation of snow, the greater the effect.

And while there is nostalgia surrounding a white winter wonderland, the last place I want to experience silence is in my prayer life. Or in my relationship with God.

But sometimes I find myself there.

And I am learning to be okay in the stillness, to hold space in the not knowing. To hold space for what is not yet.

“Learning now to live a quiet life is an important art, especially in a world that carelessly assaults us with noise. - Thomas Moore, in The Eloquence of Silence.

As we enter into 2026, I pray you find moments to embrace stillness. Silence. Of discovering the voice of Jesus as He pursues you in beauty and wonder. The conversation is not packed away with the Christmas ornaments until next year.

Listen for Him.

Welcome to Wonder*FULL January!

INVITATION 1

Your Soul’s Backpack

A verse for your soul’s backpack:

“My peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” —John 14:27

From O Holy Night advent readings by Timothy Willard:

“He’s not saying, ‘Here’s a cozy feeling to get you through the night.’

He’s saying:

‘I give you my own wholeness…. I share my inner life, my inner order, with your disordered hearts.’

The world gives peace like a ceasefire. It’s temporary, fragile, and full of conditions. But Christ gives peace like transfusion—His life into ours.”

INVITATION 3

Discover Beauty Where You Live

Here are three moments of beauty in both the snow of northern Arizona and in the wintering desert for all of us who stand, wait, and hold in this season.

I tried to choose photos that speak of stillness and waiting. Take a moment with each one.

You never know

who you will see

waiting on the edges

of the light.

muted cold stillness

shades of blue from peak to sky

breath the only noise

What do you find yourself holding in the stillness of winter? For what are you waiting?

INVITATION 3

A Free E-Book

Does your soul crave beauty and rest, but you cannot seem to find it?

Sometimes, the answer is as simple as stepping outside. There are incredible physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits to spending time in God's creation, yet most of us struggle to find the time to do so.

City living, fast-paced schedules, and digital screens have pulled us increasingly away from our connection to nature. This comes at a cost to our bodies and souls.

That's why I have created Exhale: Finding Peace and Clarity with God in Nature.

This free guide is my gentle encouragement to help you make this a priority in your life.

Peace, rest, and clarity are already waiting for you.

lynnehartkeauthor.com/free-giveaway

Note - When the link pops up after you submit your email, please click on it right away!

INVITATION 4

A Giveaway!!

This month’s drawing is from Guideposts’ Too Amazing for Coincidence series. It’s a collection of true stories about divine intervention through chance encounters that lead to life-changing mentorship, friendship, love, and healing.

In my story, Kevin and I are struggling to find our way while on a new hike in the Goldfield Mountains. We meet two different hikers—one crabby lady who refuses to help and a young man who leaps among the boulders like a flying gazelle. We discover that “Presence is the Path.” It’s a story I have told multiple times as a speaker.

I will hold the drawing on January 6. Please click on the green button to get on the list for your chance to win.

Note: You can purchase hard-cover copies or sign up for the series at Christian Bookstore - Guideposts. The code, Author15, will get you a 15% discount. Amazon has paperback copies.

EMAIL ME FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

January Storytelling Workshop

I am offering a new, monthly, in-person writing class that will run from January - April. If you have a story that you want to write, this encouraging group is the place for you. No previous writing experience is necessary. Click here for more info.

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The FINAL PHOTO with suggested captions from my social media followers:

The photo was taken at Higley Ponds when I first arrived for a morning of birdwatching. At first, I thought it was a person on the roof but then realized it was a Christmas decoration.

Suggested captions from my social media friends:

Top of the mornin’ to ya.
“I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.” (Dickinson)
Goodbye 2025, hello bright new beginning!
Where’s my fiddle?
O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light?
Motel 6 … we’ll leave the light on for you.
Paul Revere?
Even Santa enjoys birding.

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Click here: Newsletter — Lynne Hartke

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All photos are from Lynne Hartke, unless otherwise noted.

All winter photos taken at Mormon Lake, Arizona. Bird photos are from The Gilbert Riparian Preserve: American White Pelican, Black-Crowned Night Heron, and Great Egret.

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