There is no season such delight can bring
As summer, autumn, winter and the spring.
~William Browne

 

All the leaves are gone.  Well, not gone exactly.  But they are on the ground waiting for someone to pick them up!  Around here you can hear that process happening as the leaf blowers go to work.  There is seldom a moment in our neighborhood where things are completely peaceful during the day.  Some sort of machine is generally causing a disturbance somewhere within earshot.  And, if you are walking, as I do, you will find yourself right up next to noise levels that require special headgear to protect ones hearing.

But what can you do?  When snow covers the ground, as it may soon in this subfreezing weather, an eerie silence will finally descend upon us.  An errant snow blower or two may be fired up in response but all the carpenters, lawn workers and machine operators of one sort or another will retire for awhile.  We will be left with the sounds of birds foraging for food and the thaw slowly dripping from  house tops.  Perhaps the color selection will not be as it was in autumn but the sun will hit the snow and ice and it will sparkle in ways that are  auspicious.

For in a season where so much is covered in a white, silent  shroud we can find comfort in the reflected light below and the stars above.  Brilliant, flashing lights  send special messages to us about the next life.  And, perhaps, this is why we decorate our holidays with lights of one sort or another (a much calmer use of electricity in my view).  We imitate nature’s glory and connect our spiritual yearnings with the promises of a bright moon reflecting upon the crystal landscapes of night.  

And, then, finally spring comes to us and the cycle begins again.  But that is a story for another day and an event we are all looking forward to in the new year.