Sands and Stars

 Coal Train Dreams Author's note : Lack of inspiration may be the reason my blog has been dormant since around Thanksgiving. So I've decided to reach into my writing archives to share this dream of sorts with you. I hope it will brighten your day in this, a normally cold, dark and blah time of year. By the way, artist Colleen Nelson and musician Michael Gettel are key motivators for this piece -- Colleen, who allowed me so often to crash on her couch where I dreamed, and Michael, whose song "Through the Doorway" is an accompaniment to my story. His music resonates each time I revisit this dreamy scene. A heartfelt thanks to them! 💖 A gentle nudge by the dog awakened me on a chilly January morning in the country. I reached down to pat my canine companion, and as I opened my still-sleepy eyes and gazed out the window, I saw light snowflakes falling from a gray sky. They looked as though they were tiny dancers, waltzing gracefully in an early winter performance. Surely