February 27, 2022: A Celebration of Snowflakes
A Nor’easter blazed its way through New England on Friday, transforming our landscapes with a shimmering blanket of fluffy snow. When regarding the solid mantle of white that blankets our fields and trees, it’s incredible to think of how amongst the millions of snowflakes that fell, each one is unique, a masterpiece of intricate art created by Mother Nature. Snowflakes have fascinated humans throughout the ages, becoming the origin for legends, symbols of purity and inspiring proverbs and quotes from different cultures, philosophies, and even religions. A farmer from Vermont, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, is credited with discovering through photography, the uniqueness of each crystal. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-man-who-revealed-hidden-structure-falling-snowflakes-106274664/
How unique are they? Scientists have determined that even though snowflakes are atomically the same, (they are all created out of hydrogen and oxygen atoms), and it is most likely impossible for two snowflakes to have the same design.
While snowflakes can be sorted into about forty categories, scientists estimate that there are up to 10158 snowflake possibilities. (That’s 1070 times more designs than there are atoms in the universe!)
https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/are-all-snowflakes-really-different-science-winter
The expression that “no two snowflakes are alike“, also defines us as humans and reflects the incredible diversity of our world. There is no event in life, in nature or a single person in our universe which is absolutely identical to another, Snowflakes are also delicate crystals and short-lived, reminding us to celebrate the ephemeral beauty and wonder of each day.
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. Here is a collection of quotes to savor on a Winter’s day, either after outdoor explorations, or inside with a cup of hot chocolate, nestled by a crackling fire.. We invite you to share what you love about this miracle of nature in the comments below, and also with others who might find it meaningful.
Warm regards, Wendy Oellers-Fulmer
Inspirational Quotes on Snowflakes
“The universe is in the habit of making beauty. There are flowers and songs, snowflakes and smiles, acts of great courage, laughter between friends, a job well done, the smell of fresh baked bread. Beauty is everywhere.”
– Matthew Fox
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold
– Aristotle
“Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.”
– William Hamilton Gibson
“The present never ages. Each moment is like a snowflake, unique, unspoiled, unrepeatable, and can be appreciated in its surprisingness.”
– Gail Sheehy
“We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand… and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late.”
– Marie Beynon Lyons Ray
Some of the nature’s most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake.
– Rachel Carson
“Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes – every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.”
– Orison Swett Marden
“I do not wonder at a snowflake, a shell, a summer landscape, or the glory of the stars; but at the necessity of beauty under which the universe lies.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.
Wilson Bentley
“Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people’s legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.”
Sarah Addison Allen
“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake.”
– Francis Bacon
