First Snow

We've gone from brilliant fall color to elegantly silhouetted bare branches. Gradually dropping temperatures and cloudy skies have signaled eminent snowfall. And then it began. Our first snow of the season. I ran outside with the camera. Falling snow is difficult to capture with still shots, but here it is. Look real close and you'll see snow settling on the back of our truck. Maybe if you squint real hard you can see the flakes falling from the sky. At least in you imagination. It always takes my breath away. Martin says, "Wait til February. See if you still feel the magic."

I ran across something while reading the book of Daniel in the Bible the other day. The three guys that had been thrown into the fiery furnace, together sang, glorifying and blessing God (read all of Chapter 3 for the whole story!). In verse 70 they sang, "Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." Somehow, that describes how the falling snow makes me feel.

More Thougts on Falling Leaves

I don't have a photo to go with these thoughts. But picture this in your mind. When trees are in full leaf throughout the summer months, they give us shade from the heat of the sun; we are cooled and sheltered. But the leaves restrict our view, as well, during this period of time.

When the seasons transition and the leaves begin to drop, the angle of the earth to the sun changes as well, and we don't need the same canopy of leaves to shade us. At the same time our vistas are expanded. Without the leafy canopy that brings our shade, yet restricts our view, we can see greater distances.

That's part of what I love about Fall & Winter. The colors become more intense and brilliant, and then they soften and become more restful, and my perspective on my surroundings is expanded. When the trees are stripped of all their leafy finery, I see things I've never noticed before.

Such are the seasons of life, as well. "There is an appointed time for everything. . ." Ecc. 3:1