Terrible beauty

I awoke to the alarm droning in my ears, the morning ritual taking place again. Shower, shave, dress for work, get the little one up, dressed, and fed before I'm out the door, coffee in hand.

The last remains of yesterdays blizzard encased my truck in ice and snow, shrouding it in the morning darkness. The sound of the engine and constant crack of ice as the scraper does its job, are the only sounds breaking the early morning cold air.

And it is cold, 22 degrees before you factor in the wind still whipping the snow around my body.

Its the drive in that reveals nature's terrible beauty. As I make my way slowly through back roads, caught behind cars having trouble keeping their tires griping the hard packed snow, I have a chance to let my eyes wander.

The sun slowly rises, the sky taking on a light blue hue. Its just enough to start seeing how every thing stands frozen in time. The white is everywhere, every tree from top to bottom covered,  iced over and now standing as lonely sentries to the brightening dawn.

Its a rare moment. I'm awestruck being surrounded by this terrible beauty that has left thousands without power or stranded in their homes.

And yet, I can't help but revel in moment, in it's perfect clarity, and a sense of calm washes through me.