The melting has begun. After 3 days of being homebound, I was ready for a short sojourn yesterday to observe the winter wonderland that had been produced by our Great February Ice and Snow Storm.

Peaceful and serene are the visual delights of snow covering the earth. Just the beautiful appearance of snow tends to calm the stresses of life. I think that there is a bit of a reason that we all hope for a White Christmas…as it is planted in our culture and in our brains as the physical manifestation of the beauty of the season.

White Christmas is somewhat of a rarity in Southern Illinois. Snow has become a special event in our region. I passed a father sledding with his children yesterday and the look of sheer joy on each of their faces…with the dad having the widest grin of all…was priceless!

Stress has surrounded us over the past 3 years with our Pandemic and economic turnaround and the new normal of our worldwide plague. The snow has brought our little corner of the world a moment of respite and reflection…and a time for planning for better days ahead.