Growing up in west Michigan, I loved the change of seasons. Each of the four seasons had its own unique way of changing the landscape to display the wonder and beauty of God’s creation. Seasons were celebrated with food, festivities, and fun. 

I remember one fall, watching a squirrel gathering nuts to stash away for the long winter months that would soon be coming. In my young mind, I wondered how the squirrel knew it was time to gather his food. How did the squirrel know it was fall rather than spring or summer? The answer was obvious to me. God is the one who tells the animals when it’s time to prepare for the winter months. He created them with instinct to know what the changing seasons required.

That was a defining moment for me. I had been taught about God since the day I was born and loved to listen to my mom read Bible stories to me. But that day I witness for myself, a loving God who cares for His creation.

Since I am a writer, I wanted to share this truth with young children through a picture book with the title Ready for Winter.  I wrote a rhyming story and told how God directs the animals to prepare for the winter months. I had some interest from publishers, but it never made it to the bookshelf. A few years ago I sent it to Clubhouse Jr. magazine and had the story published in a fall issue. They printed it on a two-page spread and added some adorable artwork.

If my story had been told in a picture book, it may have reached an audience of a thousand or two. With the story in a children’s magazine, the reading audience was well over 50,000. So even though my little rhyming story never became a book, I am thrilled that I could reach thousands of children with the truth that there is a God who cares for His creation.

How are you getting ready for winter?

Crystal