Rainy Sunday Rambling

I went rubber stamp shopping yesterday with my pal, Denise - we had a blast, and firmly resolved that one of us would win the lottery so that we could buy each other one of everything (except for the cute stuff... barf) at Make An Impression in Issaquah. As it was, I stayed within my budget (ok, ok... mostly within), and got some cool stuff in the process. I found the above "Yin Yourself" (made by Limited Edition) and a cool little booklet of Asian inspired ATC (Artist Trading Card) cutouts. The main reason I wanted to go stamp shopping (besides the underlying itch of one of my three addictions) was to find some kind of lighting related stamp for an order I need to get working on. I found a really cool one - well, Denise found it, thank you - and it's going to be way more fun than I'd anticipated. Yeah, yeah, I'll share... no worries.
We had some gorgeous snow here yesterday. Yes, I called it gorgeous. While so many malign the pretty white stuff, I've always loved it. I grew up in Michigan and I never got tired of winter... in fact, I still miss what I consider to be real winters. I love the scent of snow; the cool, crisp feel of the air; the happy squinchy sound it makes underfoot; and, ye gods, the sheer beauty of it falling from the sky and blanketing the earth in peace. I come alive when it snows, no question... perhaps one of my incarnations was as Skadi.

In the book, Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Hoeg - a wonderful read, by the way, except for the last chapter, which just completely fizzled into a ridiculously convoluted explanation for the rest of the story, and left me wanting something better. Really, it was one of the most disappointing endings to a story I've ever read, especially when compared to the rich texture of the rest of the book. Oh, and don't even bother with the movie... bleh... didn't even begin to capture the spirit of the book, besides the fact that it was a flat out awful movie. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, in the book, Smilla says something that struck The Snow Queen in me: "The way you have a sense of God, I have a sense of snow." Comrade!

I once wrote an essay on the various personalities of Snow. Sadly, I no longer have it in my possession. However, it made some reference to Snow being at once harsh and gentle; void of color, but reflecting all color; hazardous to some, fun to play in to others; it can bite the ears off of your head, or it can kiss your cheek with all the sweetness of a mother kissing her newborn; it can provide life-sustaining water, and it can kill. Indeed, it's a fine representation of a god, of the yin and yang off all creation - it falls quietly from the heavens to the earth, and just as quietly, disappears. Beautiful stuff, Snow.
So, don't despise Snow. Make peace with it - find acceptance, and therein find the complex beauty of all the gods. The prettiest Christmas trees are the ones that Mother Nature decorates. At the very least, smile a little when it comes your way because you're thinking (as does my one remaining Michigan pal, Deb) of your favorite gypsy, laughing at the squinchy sound beneath her feet as she whirls, collecting Mother Holda's kisses on her cheeks. Alas, my beautiful Snow is nearly all melted away now, as it's been pouring rain since I woke up (too early) this morning. I love the rain too, go figure... but that's another post, another day.