Giving Thanks for Snow and Beauty

Giving Thanks for Beauty and Snow Two days before Thanksgiving, and Winter is officially here in my back yard up by the Flathead. I could have waited until closer to Christmas for the snow to get serious enough to shovel, but, alas, that is not up tom me. Yesterday, though, the snow was not yet that heavy, but I still decided to shovel the porch and driveway – for the first time this Season. I figured that it would be wise to get the inch of snow out of the way, so that when the sun came out (which it did), the snow wouldn’t begin to melt and then freeze. The weather lady predicted light rain and snow showers (Xander calls this combination shrain), so I thought caution would be the best part of valor. I had a second thought: why not get my body to remember what it’s like to shovel snow, so I would be better prepared. This morning at 3:30, there were better than four inches of snow on the deck and driveway. I was not about to shovel it all at that hour, and Di had to be at work by 4, but I did shovel off the porch. The snow was light and fluffy, making the job easier. I was particularly glad that I had gotten the more dense, half melted snow off the porch the day before, so I was not playing slip and slide, and so the work took very little time. I then drove Di to work as I am slightly more experienced driving in snow and as I would not have been able to rest well if she were on her own and as we like – crazy kids that we are – spending time in each other’s company even at 4 am. So here I sit, with my computer, at Glacier Perks telling you all this on the day before Thanksgiving. I wanted to share a small bit I wrote in response to a question posted on the Linkedin Poets and Writers forum, to which I belong. The question was: “How would you describe beauty? It seems on the surface such an easy question, but I realized it’s like compiling a top ten list, very subjective and likely to be different for each person answering, even changing within that person depending on the hour. I wrote: “Great question! My first thought comes from Danish composer Carl Nielsen, who said (I'm paraphrasing): Beauty can be many things to many people. If I take a hammer and strike a rock so hard that sparks fly, to me, that is beautiful. “Personally, I wake up each day and look out my window into my back yard. Sometimes it's snowing. Sometimes the sun is shining and the light filters through the trees in wondrous patterns. Sometimes there are wild turkeys or white tailed deer looking for morsels on my lawn. Sometimes 'Jumpy the Squirrel" squawks at us, or a woodpecker drills a tree nearby. Sometimes a friend comes over for coffee and a cookie. Sometimes a poem begins in my head and finds its way scratched onto a piece of paper, later to be transcribed and edited onto my computer. Sometimes music plays in the background, sometimes silence. My bride of forty years shares it all with me, and it's all good, and it's all beautiful, and it’s not even noon yet.” So this is my way of expressing thanks for every joy in my life. I am thankful for the sorrows in as much as they help me appreciate what I have. I am fearful of the future, but thankful for the possibilities and always, always, thankful for the work. And all of you.