Silence of Snow

"Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood."

Andy Goldsworthy

What is it about winter's first heavy snow? A flash-back memory urges us to dig out boots and mittens, proceeding to the garage for a sled, and at all cost, ignoring the shovel. It is an astonishing experience to quietly stand in the freshly fallen snow. There is something very virginal about being where no one has yet to tread.

Standing inside, watching the snow come down, the world seems to fall away. There does not seem to be anything more important than gazing outside the window. We no longer hear the television or family chatter. We magically become one with the silence outside and mesmerized by the daintily falling snow. 

Our bodies seem to fall back in time as we capture the sounds of our old friends squealing with joy. Visions of snow ball fights, building a snow man, or making snow angels, float through our thoughts keeping us lodged back in the winter of our memories. Finally turning away, hot chocolate and marshmallows seem perfect for our day.