Unbelievable

My apartment is on the second floor. My window overlooks a small park that is currently covered in snow. As the park is rarely used, the snow lay undisturbed in the soft blanket in which it fell.

Today was a bright, clear, blue-sky day. As evening settled in, a few stray clouds began to appear. There are few sights I love more than the sun setting on a winter's night. As the sky dims and progresses through it's beauty, the snow seems to take on a life of its own. Pinks and oranges are reflected back in all new hues. Add the reflection from the cloud puffs above and you become enmeshed in an ever-changing pastel world. For one fleeting moment, the sky and ground seem to settle on the same deep purple. In that moment the air feels different. I feel briefly transported to a dream-like holiday village, where the soft light of fireplaces and Christmas trees create the evening glow. It is a place where love and peace abound.

As I walk out the front door, the world takes my breath away once more. A golden moon, nearly full, is creeping up over the horizon. It is in that place before it gets to high, where it looks almost surreal. You can see its every detail, and yet it almost looks fake; like a child's drawing. On this night, its golden rays seep into the ever-settling, ever-deepening purple fog, creating a glow of its own.

It is the moment of magic; Mother Nature displaying her true perfection. Softly, quietly, suffering is lifted. Stress is set aside long enough to take a slow, deep breath of peace. I consider taking a picture, but there are colors here no camera can capture. No stroke of paint can measure up to the depth of experience.

Soon the moon will rise to its rightful height. Soon the purple will sink to black. Soon it will all be but memory. But for those who truly took the time to see, they will be forever changed. For they have been given the gift of knowing, even if only for a split second, of the much larger peace we exist within. No matter what else happens, we will always be given these moments to breathe, as long as we're still able to look.