growing up in San Francisco, I got to see snow ONE TIME at my house.  I was 12 or 13, and my mom woke me up at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. because it was SNOWING!  I know I have a photo of me standing in the backyard somewhere, with maybe a scant inch or so of snow covering the lawn.  I got to stay home from school, and we played in the yard until it all melted by noon.  

Today, I woke up to a total Winter Wonderland.  Shoveling still makes me happy, even though I've now lived in snowy climates for maybe a third of my life.  When you grow up in California near the beach, snow just doesn't cross your mind (unless you're vacationing at Lake Tahoe or something.)

It's a beautiful, happy day -- and it's our wedding anniversary, too!  I think we get closer every year.  

Transitions are funny things.  Most Americans view them as crossing a busy street -- you want to get from Sidewalk A to Sidewalk B as fast as possible -- the last thing you'd consider is sitting down in the middle of the street to contemplate the journey itself.  That's why I'm glad I was able to find my dog-eared 1992 edition of the book Transitions, by William Bridges.  Bridges pointed out the concept of what he termed 'The Neutral Zone."  OK, that still makes me think of Romulans and Klingons, but in fact it's about that weird, unsettled "in-between time" that occurs after an ending and before a beginning.  Americans seem to want to ignore or skip that part, but it's real.  One must pass through the Neutral Zone in order to come out the other side to a fresh new beginning.  I miss my girls living at home, but it is amazing and wonderful to see them spread their wings and fly.  That will be my next step in my career, too.

In 2006, ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff had his life literally blown to shreds when he was seriously injured.  It's an amazing and uplifting story of hope.  Whenever I have a tough day, I think of their story.  http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_4?asin=B002V0KA20&qid=1323918711&sr=sr_1_4.