what i like about winter...

as far as the winter weather in illinois is concerned

today would not be considered "beautiful" by any

far stretch of the

imagination

i woke up this morning

it was 35 degrees

it was raining

and

snowing

i dutifully braved

this mess of water and icy sludge

to teach my 10 a.m. class

however

when i left fairchild hall and was walking back to my car at

11 a.m the icy snow-rain was gone

the wind ceased and it this absence

the most beautiful snowfall that i have ever

witnessed

materialized...

big...no HUGE fluffy flakes were

falling all around me like a gauzy curtain and since

there was no wind the cold seemed

tolerable

i walked slowly across the quad

taking it all in

it seemed for just one moment

that i was the only person on earth

and the only sound was the very

soft static sound of the snow as

it landed

this snow only lasted for roughly an hour

before the nastiness returned

but it was in that ghostly silent

beauty that i felt some kind of peace and

grace

if only for a moment

and for me it is within and between these moments

that keep me going