“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
(Image of the last big snow here in Georgia/ Julie Cook / 2010)
A brilliant yet blindingly colorless blanket lays hold of the earth, as a heavy silence creates a void between ground and sky.
When breath becomes visible and tears are but faceted crystals which radiate with diffused light.
The pristine sterility makes even the birds self-conscious.
Everything is made new, better, brighter.
As far as the eye can see is now refreshingly clean. It is as if the earth, and all that it contains, has received a fresh coat of white paint.
The worn tattered ground, once so familiar, is suddenly now foreign with nary a blemish.
A smooth glistening white carpet, starched and crisp, begs to be sullied by young and old.
There is magic in the air and yet it all remains veiled in silence.
Only the muffled crunch under each step is the single sound in a world suddenly gone quiet.
It is the joy of every child and the bane of most adults.
And yet we all wait in grand anticipation, ever vigilant by the window.
Do you see it?
Yes, Yes!! It’s here, it has arrived again, just as it has time after time.
Joy stirs in the heart.
Childhood is suddenly present.
Magic is now visible.
Forgotten is the slush, the dirty wet, the bitter bone chilling cold, the slips and falls.
Forgotten is the shoveling, the trepidation of foot, the need for dry warmth.
For today, we all are children as we marvel with awe and wonderment at the spectacle now falling from the heavy grey sky.
Giddy laughter echoes throughout the house as boots and gloves are quickly assembled.
Pieces of cardboard and baking pans must act as make shift sleds.
The hot chocolate is quickly being heated.
Where are the marshmallows?
At this moment of this day, all seems right with the world.
Happiness has fallen from the sky as once again, finally, the first snow of the season has arrived. . .
(it should be noted that here in the south, we have had rain, and now torrential rain, for 9 straight days)
cookiecrumbstoliveby 