He arose just before eight o’clock, almost two hours later than usual.  With the rustle of bed sheets, he pinched his eyes closed against the sunlight as it streamed through the window.  Stepping out of the bed, his feet immediately became tangled with clothing that littered the floor.  He showered, dressed and then made his way into the kitchen, where his wife of twenty-six years sat at the table.  He gulped down his coffee and answered her necessary questions with mechanical answers - the two of them unenthused partners in a tiring dance.

As he made his way out to the car, his hands quickly became numb from the unseasonably cold weather, and he noticed a scattering of snow that had left the front lawn quilted in white. 

There’s something about new fallen snow, he thought.  A fresh start - a grace, although only short-lived, for he knew all too quickly it would become trampled and tainted.

Strange as it may seem, he decided at that precise moment to leave everything behind. 

 Yes, a fresh start!  His lips worked the words without uttering a sound, and as he backed out of the driveway, he grinned somewhat defiantly.

Approaching a traffic light, he spotted a billboard, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”  James 4:14

  Surely, this must be an omen!  He had one life to live, and who knew how much time he had left.  Now was the time to live life to its fullest, for far too often his dreams had been dashed.  Beads of moisture began to form on his upper lip, as his face burned with enthusiasm.

And it was there at the intersection that he met his fate, for in his excitement he had made a left turn at the caution light, never hearing the blare of the oncoming fire engine’s alarm.  As rescue workers struggled to pull him from his car, his eyes remained transfixed on the billboard.  Drawing his last breath, his mind drifted back to the snow that blanketed the lawn earlier that morning - and like mist, he faded away.