In the beginning, the sun arose in the wintry sky;

as the day brightened, it chased away the deep

dark hours of the lingering night.

In the beginning, the new fallen snow sparkled

beneath the gleaming sunlight

as if glittering diamonds were

scattered on the frozen white surface.

And soon a lone hare and a squirrel

hopped and scampered about

creating crisscrossing paths

across the white barren land.

In the beginning the oaks, the elms,

and the maple trees,

stripped bare of their garments

of resin-scented autumn leaves,

stood guard over this silent scene

where, in the end, there remains

a gentle quietness across the drifts

of whiteness gleam.

In the beginning a searching

journey starts from a wistful

heart and leads the soul to a

place of restful peace.