white as snow

I'm sitting at my new desk mesmerized by beautiful snow falling outside the window.  The flakes are so large, I can't decide if they are more like cotton candy or coconut, as they dance in front of me.  There's something enchanting about falling snow.  I can get lost in it's beauty.  As this could very well be the last snowfall of the season, I'm soaking up each calming snowflake.  Freshly fallen, it is so pure and white and there's something heavenly about it. 

In some cultures, white is considered to be a color the represents death.  I'm sure for many, they would say the color black; however, when you think about what death means, the color of white is much more comforting and true.  While we grieve the loss of the person, we know they are in a better place after death.  When I see white, I think of a clean soul, a fresh slate, and a new beginning.  The peace I get from a snowy landscape gives me a glimpse of what Heaven must be like.  I would imagine the beauty of snow there, without the cold.  In Heaven, I imagine that each snowflake would be joyful as it fell.

My family prepares today to say goodbye to another loved one.  While Ninny, as I knew her, will be missed, I find joy in her passing because I know she is Home.  Perhaps, she is up there dancing among the snowflakes now.  At 91, she lived a long and good life.  Stubbornly independent, she lived on her own most of those years, only recently moving to a nursing home.  These past few months have been difficult for her and her family, as she's suffered and declined through the natural process of aging.

It's never easy saying goodbye to those we love.  It is hard to let go in this world, even knowing our loved ones are better off.  But when loved ones go home to Heaven, we must remember that it really isn't goodbye at all, just... until we meet again.

An aged Christian, with the snow of time upon his head, may remind us that

those points of earth are whitest which are nearest to heaven.