The blanket

Nebraska is covered in white today. A major snowstorm has let about 8" of the stuff float down on the Lincoln area. It's moist snow. Heavy. Hard to shovel. And slick under foot once you have cleared it away. But before all of the man-made arranging happens, it's nice to just look at Nebraska is a white coat of muffled glory.

A new snow brings muffled silence to the country side. Snow slows things down. Snow is a wonderful lesson in nature's fine art. Through all of that white, there are shades of dark brown and green as the trees stand like waiters clad in white near an expensive table. Little stream that go unnoticed suddenly cut their way through the whiteness in zig-zagging shades of dark brown and green. The long strands of brown grass peak through the drift and still reach for their playmate, the cold wind of the North. And if you listen carefully, the dried milkweed ponds have a song to play for you.

As you walk, you can hear the crunch of the snow as you compress it with your boot. It gives up its soft white grace with a sudden and often slow crunch to remind you that this is not going to be an ordinary walk on an ordinary day. You must walk slowly and deliberately and maybe that is God's way of say...open your eyes and the see the beauty in your life. It's everywhere. It's endless.

I know many people only think of snow are beautiful when they are in the mountains on their skis or snowboards. Not me. I will share the snow with the fox digging his nose into the drift to see where the field mouse might be. I will share the snow with the pheasant as it runs along the fence line in the dried brush that protects them.

And today, I will share the snow with you. After all, it's New Year's Eve and the greatest resolution might be to just take some time and see the wonder that is already in your life. Happy New Year!