always winter, and never christmas

nobody wants that. winter is bearable for two reasons: first, christmas and second, spring. spring is all the more joyous after a long, cold winter. the best spring i ever had was in edinburgh. i literally watched the flowers bloom around me. the worst springs i endured were in waco, texas. in texas there was no cause for spring...it had been spring or summer all year. even worse, in narnia it was always winter and never christmas. the thing about this life is, like narnia, it would always be winter if there were no christmas. because of christmas and the incarnation, all things are being redeemed. therefore, that which dies (winter) is brought back to life (spring). all the pain and suffering, all that is dead in us and around is, can really be life. spring always follows winter. thankfully, in narnia, the ice began to melt "and lucy felt that deep shiver of gladness that you only get if you are being solemn and still." christmas id say. id like to be solemn and still.

here in berlin, the river has been frozen, so thoroughly that one could ice skate on it. i did not do so, though i might venture such an endeavor in the future. it has started melting and made for an opportune photo shot. this photo highlights the bane of berlin's architecture, the tv tower. whoever thought that was a good idea was severely mistaken. its huge, its ugly, and you can see it from anywhere you are in berlin. even, as it were, in the reflection of the river.