Snow Days

I love snow.   When a snowfall begins, my preferred place to be is at home sitting at my kitchen table and looking out the large bay window.  I love the magical way that falling snow can so quickly create a profound stillness, interrupted only by an occasional snowplow.  I even have a perverse appreciation for ice that coats everything as we experienced with the past wintry mix this weekend.  So much of the outside world looked as if it was encased in glistening crystals, beckoning us to really marvel at its beauty.  Last Sunday night, I happen to see the bright moon shine down on the icy branches of the tree just outside my front door.  It was as if the limbs were one lacy, glassed spider web with the moon in its center.  It was a breathtakingly beautiful, quiet moment. 

I also love how we need to slow down when the wintry weather comes and to focus on the simple task of just getting around during the day.  No longer can we go speeding forth on our sidewalks or in parking lots since the possibility of black ice is lurking about.  There are hidden benefits to walking cautiously and carefully on the icy walkways.  Our movements need to be deliberate, sometimes carefully chosen as we dodge a slick spot.  Our focus is narrowed on getting to our destination knowing that once we have arrived we can then move on to the next task at hand. On our Advent calendar app, It’s Advent!, I loved the quote for December 16th from the medieval mystic and theologian, Meister Eckhart: “Wisdom consists in doing the next thing you have to do, doing it with your whole heart and finding delight in doing it.”  Perhaps Meister Eckhart came up with this holy thought after maneuvering on the slippery European streets of the 13th century!

However, what I love the most about these snowy days is the moment when the ground is sufficiently covered and the children from my neighborhood come to my front yard to sled down the side hill.  The silence is immediately filled with the laughter and delight of these young people as they trudge up the hill with their sleds and saucers, only to go whizzing back down safely into the yard across the street.  Sometimes, the children will wave at me and at other times, they just come up to my front door to come inside and get warm and have a visit with my two dogs.  I am always touched by their boundless joy with such a simple thing as sledding.

Our Season of Advent is coming to an end.  The silence and quiet waiting is now to be replaced with the immense joy of Christmas.  It is now time to focus once again on the sacred story of the birth of Christ and to be reminded of the remarkable gift of the Incarnation, God becoming human.  Like the children sledding outside my window on snow days, our hearts and souls are to be filled with such delight and laughter as we celebrate this joyous season of Christmas.   May all of you have a blessed Christmas and be filled with the peace and joy of the Christ child.

Mary Grace+