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| Winter by � biidsis I remember the winter I turned twenty, I shared a three-room cabin with my husband of two months. We had a dog and a cat and we struggled for a living. Times were hard and that was an especially difficult winter. There were blizzards, followed by frigid, biting winds. One night I awoke very late or very early, depending on one�s disposition. I went into the living area to check the fire and found the room brightly lit, almost as daybreak. I noticed that the dog and cat were as restless as I was. I wandered the room moving from window to window, noticing the brightness was from the full moon. It was magical and shining, making the new snow twinkle like stars. I was awestruck by the beauty of the site. My cat had joined me and we watched the wonder of the night together. Suddenly, I noticed movement to my left and turned to see a pack of brush wolves moving across the lake. Briefly wondering if they were our neighbor�s pups, I decided they were indeed the wolves I had heard were in the neighborhood. The neighbor�s pups were too rangy and bounding. These animals moved quickly, with stealth and purpose. It was a beautiful scene on a bitter winter night. The cat and I watched in wonder. The cat was purring and myself calming and sleepy. That�s when we heard it! At first I thought it was the wolves. But no, I had never heard anything like this before! It began as a howling and became a noise I had no words to describe. Eerie comes to mind. Then it changed almost to the sound of whales talking to one another. I realized this was the sound of the lake shifting under the burden of the ice. It became quiet and the cat and I settled down and the wolves continued their journey. Sitting there thinking of what we had witnessed, it occurred to me that the miracle was something shared. It was a gift to the wolves, to the cat and to me. And I gave thanks to the Creator for the wonder. Bangan, Biidaaban |