Before the storm

Another snowstorm is headed our way. I'd tell you how many we've had this winter, but I've lost count. (No doubt the Weather Channel will give this storm a name, too.)

But right now, curled up in a comfortable chair in a room that really could use a good dusting, I'm thanking the weather gods for the blue sky and bright sunlight reflecting off the icicles hanging outside the window. Summer skies may be blue, but this blue, the blue of a winter sky, is deeper -- like some cosmic reward for those who've endured months of cold and snow.

Life is just one storm after another, with occasional breaks of sun and blue sky to remind us how good it feels to be alive. So instead of naming the storms, maybe we should name days like this one -- and let the storms pass, nameless, into the dust of all that came before this beautiful, blue-sky moment.