crunchy quiet & quiet awe

While falling snow is quiet, walking in snow has a unique crunching sound. I quite like it. Walking to the car this morning, each step had a lovely crunch. We were on our way to a favorite place – The Coffee Apothecary.

Driving the back way, there was no sense of the awe I was about to have. Rounding a curve, there it was. The mountains had been transformed and I fell silent. Well, not quite. I’m never actually silent. But my soul was very much quieted.

It was overwhelming to see what yesterday’s low-hanging clouds had created on the mountains.

I raised my cappuccino in thanksgiving for this gift.

Later we took a short drive north to experience the enormous stillness.

Climbing in bed just now, I have such gratitude for the gift of an extraordinary palette of white this day. Gratitude, too, for the morning crunch.

“A single pane of glass divides
Myself from falling snow outside.
The first of many falling snows
That these white winter skies will know.

And taking then my quiet leave
The snow alights on cap and sleeve,
While walking slowly up the hill
I realize then the world is still

All still except for falling flakes
Filling fast the tracks I make.
All still except for swelling smiles
Growing with the snow in piles.

All still within a quiet mind
All still as footprints left behind.” William McGehee