One Snowflake at a Time

One Snowflake at a Time

Hushed time quietly wraps its arms around me, muted by snowflakes in deepest winter. Starkness around me, my inner core of power is softened, tenderized by changes reminiscent of youth. I’m lingering, at the near zero point of coldness. Yet, in this time of stillness, I begin to recall inner visions—visions nestled between snowflakes.

I recall a young woman, vulnerable to the point of mist. She has no idea of how to live. She has no sense of what to do or how to ask for help, for her feelings are dulled to the immobility of a constant ache.

I reach out to her as I reach within me now from a strength garnered from years of survival. I find myself in the stark surroundings she knew. Though time seems to stand still in the silence of a snowfall, I can bridge the years to her.

I hold her softly within my heart, while respectfully reassuring her soothingly. And I tell her the story that is both hers and mine. I tell her of the coming of a future, one not yet unfolded. I say, “I will show you the way even though the path is unknown to me. I have learned the means for us to face the unknown.”

“Forever, now, I will carry you within me so you can see through my eyes. No winter emptiness can cause us fear. No lack of growth in mid-winter bleakness will concern us, be they memories from your past or unknowns in our future
“We will leave footprints in the snow to show how far we’ve walked. Looking back I can see how many steps I’ve taken to bring us here. But looking forward, it doesn’t matter that we don’t know how many more we’ll take. After all, each answer to every question drifts to us one snowflake at a time”

Lynn Weiss
October 2010
317 words
.
.