I’m in the living room of some dear friends of ours in Grand Rapids, MI. I played a show last night here in town and they have graciously hosted me in their home. It snowed last night; the area’s first of the year. Though I am not prepared for the cold, I’m glad I could ring in the onset of winter with these folks.

I have to get back in the car in a few minutes to drive to Iowa for tonight’s show, but I thought I would take a moment to say how amazed I am that people here can endure winters that are not only long and bitingly cold, but gray, rarely seeing the sun for months. I’m not sure I could do it and escape with a smile on my face. Or maybe that’s the point: you learn to endure and you learn what a grace it is to have the sunlight warm your brow, for however brief a time. I take Nashville’s weather for granted. Here in this place, grace is as small a thing as seeing the sun break through the thick blanket of morning clouds, if only for a few minutes, only to disappear again for days on end. That’s one of the many things I admire about people in this part of the country: where a dog is still just a dog, not an overly pampered critter – it’s a barn animal, after all – blankets are as ample and warm as the coffee, and the people are as authentic as the seasons of the year.

Welcome to winter. May we find a small grace in the day.