The Ultimate Washington Cover-Up: Snow!

Washington woke up a different place yesterday. No, I don't mean elected officials suddenly put aside partisan games.

No, Washington was - depending on how you look at it - the victim OF, or blessed BY, the ultimate cover-up.

We were covered up by a huge snow!

From the Capitol, where the Senate was locked in nasty debate, to the White House, Washington was transformed into a Winter Wonderland.

That's the thing about snow: The cliches come tumbling down with the first flakes. We can't help ourselves.

But even the torrent of words and descriptions we're heard a million times before can't beat the scenes that a snowfall paints.

There's an old Washington truth (another cliche to be sure) that where we stand depends on where we sit. A snow just underlines that.

Adults dread snow because it means school closings, snow drifts, detours and blocked sidewalks.

Children on the other hand love snow for exactly the same reasons - school closings, snow drifts, detours and blocked sidewalks.

Is that then a thought for the holiday season? That when we allow the inconveniences of modern life to overwhelm us, we miss what every child knows but can't really explain: that a change in the weather - the first snow, a sign of spring, a summer sunset - can make us smile and helps us to find peace and contentment.

Are there miracles? I believe snow can be a miracle, but only if we allow it to be.