Minor Cold: Winter digs in

On Minor Cold, life stirs beneath a frozen shroud. But even in winter's chill, warmth can find its way, in hot springs thawing the cold, and in children's laughter amid the snow. Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Yuan Zhen wrote in his poem Ode to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms: Minor Cold in the Twelfth Month: "On Minor Cold, the season is deeper grown." Though icy winds linger, hearts are warm with hope. Let us brace the chill and wait for the song of spring.