A WINTER FAIRYTALE

Upon our arrival in Toronto in October, a constant warning echoed:
"Don't forget: Winter is coming."  
True to the caution, winter came —with its cold embrace, snowfall, the gentle glow of winter sun, and enchanting bleak magic. Just as I had envisioned.
I find a peculiar charm in the nip of frost on my cheeks, knowing that warmth will soon envelop me once again. 

Nevertheless, there are moments when our hearts can freeze and grow numb, not necessarily due to the cold, but rather as a consequence of our human nature steering us towards obsessions such as power,  knowledge, money, and so on.

Our national treasure, H.C. Andersen, unfolds an enchanting tale about ice, winter, and the consequences of a frozen heart—the tale of the Snow Queen. The fairytale revolves around young Gerda and her companion, Kay, inseparable friends spending their summer days playing. Yet, one fateful day, Kay's eye meets a splinter from a magical mirror, and his heart turns to ice. From that point, his perception of the world alters. Roses lose their fragrance, the beauty of his grandmother's tales and hymns fades away, and even little Gerda's eyes no longer captivate him. Kay craves knowledge—cold, hard facts and geometric precision. No imagination is left.

One day Kay follows the Snow Queen's grand sled. The Snow Queen promises him the world if, by the frozen lake near her castle, he can arrange wooden blocks with letters to spell out their corresponding words. Seated for a long time, Kay struggles but fails. Not due to a lack of intelligence. Yet, he remains seated, growing colder and bluer, oblivious to Gerda, his grandmother, beautiful hymns, and everything else. Gerda, though, refuses to forget him. Embarking on a quest to find him, she travels to the ends of the earth. When she finds him, she sheds tears of love over her friend. As her warm tears touch his chest, he starts crying without comprehension, the splinter disappears, and he becomes himself again.

We cry for various reasons: Gerda's tears of joy and love, and Kay's tears, shed without awareness but revealing his true self. Through these tears, his hardness dissipates, and the shard dissolves. He cries the tears of self-awareness that love can awaken.  Perhaps this mirrors our experience when stepping into the divine light? We may find ourselves shedding tears without understanding why, for God sees us as we are and loves us nonetheless. Even when our hearts, at times, freeze, necessitating the warmth of love to thaw them.