It’s a cold, grey day outside and snow is beginning to waft down yet again.

This winter’s been exceptionally wearisome – and to escape it for awhile I’ve been curled up amongst the plants in my living room.

While lying there and using the time to text family and friends, a bit of bright light came in through the skylights and created a momentary glow in my little indoor jungle.

Knowing these moments don’t last, I did not dare go grab my camera, but instead took a quick image of it on my cell phone.

Seconds later the light faded back into grey as another band of snow swirled past outside.

And although by my technical standards the cell phone camera is a poor replacement for my better gear – this serendipitous image will forever remind me of the gift Nana gave me on a dreary February afternoon.

Living near the continental divide you become keenly aware of watersheds, flow patterns and which ocean the water will eventually end up in.

There’s no question of the final destination.

What you don’t know, when standing by a small mountain creek, is what the path ahead holds.

A mystery we all face.

This winter has been punishing in more ways than one to some of us.

And when you feel completely beaten down you seek for signs, however tenuous, of recovery, rebirth and renewal.

So when I was out in my backyard garden last weekend, turned over some dead leaves and spotted a flash of green sprouts coming up into the sunlight – well, that one bit of emerging life gave me hope for the rest of the day, and into this next week.

It’s not like that one moment will overcome all burdens.

But without that bit of encouragement from Nana now and then, things can start to seem a lot more dire than they really are.

Nana offers hope in many ways.

Nana’s storms have a way of transforming the ordinary landscape of everyday into a surreal place.

Enough the same to make you think things should feel normal, yet different enough to make you feel off balance and not quite sure that this actually is the same world it was yesterday.

Though storms may just be Nana’s way of reminding you that life is not the steady place that you expect it to be.

But that even the worst of them can provide you with a new way of seeing the world that will remain with you the rest of your life.

The harshest conditions often reveal the best insights.

They strip a complex world down to its essence – and allow you to understand your real priorities.

Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair when the world outside is clear and sunny, but your own heart is stormy.

You’d like Nana to give you weather to match your mood…

But in a way, this can just be her way of reminding you that storms do pass – no matter how terrible.

And the world goes on.