another snowfall . . .

But all we can confess of what we are
Has in it the defeat of isolation--
If not our own, then someone's, anyway.
-- Adrienne Rich, Stepping Backward

I am overwhelmed sometimes by the beauty of the world around me.

And there are days, like today, when I am reminded of the meaning and purpose of my presence here. And these times, I feel so very much gratitude for everything and everyone that has contributed to my being right here, right now, in this moment, in this space. Even this landscape that I discover anew each day, so brand new to me, is one I see with lenses thick with memories, and everyone I have ever known is somehow here with me in this vision of the world, even as I experience isolation . . .