However being an optimistic type of person I also look for the silver lining that winter offers. That being beauty in its starkness. When the sun shines upon freshly laden snow the ground and trees become illuminated with glittering sparkles.
When I was a child I was enchanted by these tiny glittering snow crystals. I was amazed that while standing in the snow I was surrounded by millions of these sparkling wonders yet unable to pick up and hold a single one. When I was in fourth grade I had to write a story that explained something like a myth or legend. I imagined a story of how these tiny little snow sparkles came to be....
It began with a princess (as most stories do when you are a little girl). This princess of course was beautiful and was given everything she wanted. But she was not happy. She wanted to own all the diamonds in the world and begged her father the king to have everyone in the kingdom gather and bring all the diamonds in the world to her so they would only belong to her. And it was done. The princess had an entire wing of the castle with rooms and rooms filled to the top with glittering diamonds.
Then one day a young child had been sent from a nearby poor village. He approaches the princess and asked if she'd be willing to share one of the beautiful shining diamonds with his village. The people of the village were falling ill and one diamond could afford them all food.
The princess refused to part with a single diamond. And sent the child away! The next day an old woman arrived asking the same favor and again the princess sent the old woman away. Day by day she continued to send away people who begged for her to share just one single diamond. Until one day she refused a weary old man who then turned into a magic sorcerer. He was angry at her for he had given her many chances to show kindness and selflessness and yet she continued to refuse to share her diamonds.
With the wave of his wand all her diamonds swirled up into the sky creating a large sparkling cloud. The princess leaped forward in an attempt to grab the magic wand. Suddenly all the diamonds turned a bright glowing white and gently fell to the ground. She immediately began to scoop the up but each time she did so, they'd sparkle in her hands and then melt away.
The sorcerer laughed and said "Let this be a lesson to you. You will no longer be able to keep a single diamond for yourself. Instead you will share them with the world. Every time the snow falls your diamonds will appear with such grand sparkle for all to enjoy"
And that is why the winter snow sparkles.
