Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road

Softly falling snow…

January 17, 2021 at 7:36 pm 2 comments

…brings joy, brings comfort, blankets the earth, softening all sounds…

There is more to report from my perch here in France, but much of it is upsetting, or at least uncertain and unsettling. The pandemic continues. Doctors, nurses, scientists, and elected officials, as well as the general population are all trying to deal with a difficult and worrisome situation. It’s not clear when we’ll be able to breathe a sign of relief. Not yet.

But yesterday, it snowed. In Paris people were out sledding, skiing, and generally rejoicing in the snow. (Snow brings out childlike wonder and joy in almost everyone, doesn’t it?)

Here in Essoyes the snow started in the afternoon and continued into the night, softly covering everything. And it was still here this morning.

So for today, I’m going to just let this lovely sight stay here. Along with the words that always come back to me when a lovely, thick snow is falling.

Snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves…

Has anyone ever written more beautifully about snow than James Joyce did in this passage? I don’t think so.

Stay safe, stay well everyone. Prenez soin de vous…

Janet Hulstrand is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher of writing and of literature who divides her time between the U.S. and France. She is the author of Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You, and is currently working on her next book, a literary memoir entitled “A Long Way from Iowa.”

Entry filed under: Neither Here nor There.... Tags: James Joyce, writing about snow.