At 2 a.m.

I stepped outside the busyness of the Nightshelter to get some fresh air and watch snow fall from the sky.  The first (and perhaps even only) snowfall I've seen since I've been here.  I didn't realize how noisy the house was, even at 2 a.m. when all residents are sleeping, until I stepped into the back garden.  When I shut the door behind me I also shut out the constant loud hum of the fridges and freezers, as well as the whirl of the washing machine in a spin cycle and the twirling of the tumble dryer.  I stepped into a world transforming.  The flakes floated to the ground at a slight angle.  When they hit surfaces most started melting, so it almost sounded like a soft rainfall.  But it was a gentle sound that amplified the feeling inside me that watching the snow fall was like watching a blanket of peace being gently laid over the earth.  The soft, white bliss transformed that which was dead and dying from the bitter cold into a beautiful new creation.  

Although it's always magical to wake up to a world transformed, it's even more breathtaking to witness the transformation take place.