Celebrations: Sounds of Silence

This is the first day of our winter break and I am taking some very deep breaths.

Every year, it feels like we return from the December break and I forget to breathe until February break.  The weeks speed one into the next. This year, a few snow days added an additional whirl to the whirlwind as we all scrambled to make up classes. 

Part of the energy comes from the fact that the 100th day of school often precedes this break by a day or two or three and often Valentine's Day gets added to the mix. This year, the 100th day of school was Wednesday, and, as you know, yesterday was Valentine's Day. These two things are Celebrations in and of themselves.  Yesterday was an AMAZING day at school.  I'll be sharing my #valentinebrag post later (far too many really wonderful messages about reading not to be shared with a wider audience).

Today, I am celebrating something very different. I am celebrating the sounds of silence, the antithesis to the exciting and noisy hustle and bustle of the last six weeks. This afternoon, I arrived at the family homestead and immediately trekked down to the river (through thigh deep snow, which, minus snow pants, proved not to be the smartest idea).  I was listening for the thundering roar of the waterfall and was met with a thundering silence.  The ice and snow had created a baffle thick enough to deafen the noise.  There I was, surrounded by the sounds of silence. A moment I celebrate with you here: