At times winter seems bleak. But it's in the winter that the leaves fall off the trees, and I can see down the valley, across the city and over to the mountains. In the summer my yard is more green and enclosed and more private. I have trouble seeing past my own property line. The same is often true in life. When we are blessed with much, sometimes we have difficulty seeing past our own property. When things are bleak in our portion of the world we can often see past ourselves and into the beauty in the distance. We can see others. We are no longer alone.