An Ode to Snow

The snow is falling this morning, with about an inch on the ground since we went to bed last night. How amazing the way it transforms the view from our window! No wonder some call it a "blanket"--the earth, bare and parched most of the winter, now looks like it's snuggled beneath a downy quilt. And the top of each tree limb is pillowed in white. So peaceful. And so quiet in the pre-dawn hour, the only sound the soothing coo of a solitary mourning dove. The scene has brightened some as the sun begins to rise, but millions of snowflakes hold the warming rays at bay as they join their brethren to create out of grey sameness a black-and-white contrast that reveals the world in its essential shapes and forms. "How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!"