Reflections: On New Fallen Snow

Standing near the end of the patch of woods overlooking the corn stubble field behind our home, I paused for a few moments and just listened. All was quiet until I listened more closely. The slight winter breeze made the falling snow whisper against my exposed face and brush against the nylon fabric of the green anorak I was wearing. As the flakes touched the fabric they skidded off with a slight wisp creating a kind of soft click as they fell. Behind me a gentle hushing joined the chorus of winter sounds as some snow fell from the branches of a cedar tree. With camera in hand, I snapped a few photos.

To my left a group of assorted birds flittered between the ground cover stopping long enough to pluck a seed from the tall grasses. The air was cold but not so nearly cold as the previous few days when a frigid winter storm blasted through the countryside depositing a frozen layer of snow across the land. Lots of folks complained. Personally, I loved it as it provided something somewhat rare in these parts; a White Christmas. 

I continued to work my way around the point and followed a fence row to the edge of another wooded area. Inside the fence several goats grazed on the giant roll of hay, stopping only briefly to look over in my direction as I passed by. The snow seemed to not bother them, nor the rooster as he strutted around.

Along the edge of the woods I continued to walk. With each step the snow crunched under foot and gathered across the tops of my boots. Turning the corner I cover the few dozen or so yards more to the pond, its surface frozen now and covered in a layer of fresh snow. Deer tracks crisscrossed the area but were beginning to lose their sharpness as the new snow filled in their outlines. 

Within a few moments the snow started falling with a lot more vigor and again I stopped, loosening my jacket to vent some of the heat I generated during the hike. That hush across the woods seemed broken by the whispering snow as it floated and curved through the trees and across the fields and slid off my jacket. The treeline maybe a hundred yards away looked diffused and gray through the falling snow. 

Working my way around the pond, more tracks appeared, squirrel I think, and then some rabbit tracks as well. Another set of tracks cut across the field and disappeared. Pretty sure they belonged to a coyote. Eventually, I worked my way back to the end of that first set of woods. A good hour or more had slipped by during my hike, and the snow continued to fall. I worked through the woods following the trail we cut through it the previous fall, which made for easier access. As I entered the backend of my yard, I noticed once again how the old swing, campfire, and firewood stacked in one corner looked like something out of a rustic Americana painting. As I neared home, dozens of birds, Cardinals, Titmice, Juncos, Blue Jays, and various sparrow-like birds, were swarming around the feeders. They seemed almost tame as they barely broke away as I approached, but they offered several good photo-ops.

Inside, the fireplace was burning casting a warming glow into the room. and I sat down to off load some photos and to write this reflection. The Christmas season is now behind us with the New Year approaching. The past year was a good year over all, and the new year looks promising in spite of all the nonsensical stuff being pushed out in the world. I feel blessed beyond all measure and peace of mind is worth a great deal. 

A simple walk through the woods during a snowfall opens the heart to hearing the true message of the Christmas season; Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men. It's the kind of message we too often say without really pausing long enough to reflect upon what it really means...that a little child 2000 years ago came into this world to bring peace and joy to all the world. And through that child all the transgressions of mankind were placed so we could find forgiveness and a life everlasting. The light of that child was a brilliant, radiant white, not unlike New Fallen Snow, but even more pure.