View from the Bluff on a Snowy Day

I've reserved Thursdays to be my writing days...I look forward to Thursdays.  It's one of those days that anticipates the weekend not yet here but close.  An entire weekend ahead.

These past few weeks have been....let's say interesting.  In the past nine weekdays, my girls have only been to school four of those days due to the caution of incoming snow and potential icy weather.  This definitely instills an extra dose of patience and flexibility for mothers and fathers.

Some of my favorite memories on the ol' Bluff were snow days.  We didn't have them very often because snow was pretty common in the winter days in Idaho, and we just learned how to drive in it.  But occasionally we got word that we could stay in our pajamas, put on our snow gear after breakfast and a few cartoons, and head outside to enjoy the snow.

Now back in the 1980's when my brother and I were in elementary school, we had snow so deep that we didn't even need sleds.  Remember, I lived on a property that was very conducive to sledding - a bluff that neighboring kids would be green with envy if we had any.  All we needed to do was graze a snow trail down the bluff by sitting on the top of the snow and scoot your way down the bluff until you stopped and......Viola!  A perfect slide down the side of the bluff!

The only catch was that at the bottom of one side of the bluff was a road (that was before Linder Road was so busy) and at the bottom of the other side was a canal, but it was usually pretty empty or frozen over during the winter.  But that didn't stop us.  It was a winter wonderland for my brother and me!

I loved the intermission a snow day brought to the regular routine of school life.  It was like a surprise party for everyone that day!  Well, that's what I thought as a young girl with nothing else to really think about.

But now I'm a mom, and I live in Georgia where snowfall is very rare. I used to make fun of people who would close school down for fear of snow.  That is until we got to experience first hand an ice/snow storm that shut down the entire city of Atlanta and surrounding areas.  It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.  I don't make fun of them anymore...

But yesterday, school was cancelled.  We were told snow was coming.  We waited...and waited. We ran errands, organized some play dates or I should say for my 13 year old - "hang out" time with friends, and then about 5:00 pm it happened. Big white, fluffy flakes began to fall from the sky.

Everything stopped...

I couldn't help but stare out the window and recall all those treasured memories with my big brother on the snowy bluff.  

Our Georgia home is much different than the bluff.  Instead of looking down at trees below, here in Georgia I'm looking up at hundreds of towering trees.  Trees that have been here for awhile, and I wish they could talk.  I have so many questions to ask them. 

Did you see General Grant's men come through here during the Civil War?  Who traveled through these parts and sat in your shade?  Sometimes I catch myself talking to my neighbor's big oak tree as if it could speak back to me. If only he could talk. (Maybe I should name him?) 

I always wanted to visit the South.  I never thought I'd actually live here, but here is where God has brought us.  I didn't get a wrap-around porch like I've always dreamed of, but instead my house has a wrap-around forest, filled with wildlife and adventure.

I look out the window again at the large flakes that are now sticking to the ground.  My three girls have been waiting all day for snow to arrive on this "snow day".  

I ask myself, "Why did God make snow?"  

I giggle to myself when I think of a script from the Skit Guys when they describe snow as angels shampooing their hair.

I hear the hallway closet doors fly open. Girls hollering, "Mom, where's my..."  I don't move.  I keep quiet.  I'm in a nice cozy position where I can watch the snow fall through the front windows of the house as well as see it come down in the back yard.  It's the perfect spot.

The day was filled with mundane and ordinary....but once the snow began to fall everything changed...  

I...took a mental trip back to the bluff.  

My girls...piled on any snow clothes they could find or still fit into and bolted out with excitement and anticipation.  Sisters who were earlier a nuisance and a bother became companions of fun. Giggling ensued. This third snow day, which was viewed as another interruption in my schedule, became an opportunity to give myself permission to set aside my to-do list and take IN the moment with my family.

Why does God give us snow?

Perhaps just to give us an intermission in the monotony of life.

     Maybe to simply hear the "ooh's" and "aw's" of hearts amazed by his creation.

            Could it be that He wants to give us a change in scenery, a new color                                                 that changes our perspective.

I think God gives us snow to quiet us. 

This is what I love about snow...have you ever just listened to the earth nestled in a blanket of snow? 

It's still...there is a hush that is surreal as if the ground and it's inhabitants are sleeping. The forest is quiet, there are no cars driving by, no distractions, you can only hear stillness...if that can be heard. 

This naturally draws my soul to be still too.  
And opens my eyes to see God's grand artwork right in my backyard.

It's not the bluff.  It has different beauties, unique sceneries that I am quick to miss because it isn't the bluff I grew up on.  But then I remember, this is the property my girls will remember on snow days.  They won't remember blazing a trail along the side of the bluff like I did, but they will remember exploring the thick forest in their backyard. 

They will have memories of finding artifacts in the ground, collecting wood for our family campfires...

 using a fallen tree as a bridge to cross the drain ditch...

 and perfecting their back flip on the trampoline.

Different terrains...different childhoods...yet both filled with moments and memories that make us who we are in our adult years. 

Even though these past few weeks have been interrupted with more non-snow days than snow days....my to-do list is growing by the minute.....I've got to keep the family fed and fulfill wife & mommy duties.....and write a message on "making an offering" to share this coming Sunday, I'm so thankful God gave us snow to just hush the busyness, to still the urgent things that are seldom important, and make lasting moments with the important things that are seldom urgent. 

The View from the Bluff on a snowy day has helped me embrace these interruptions and celebrate them as "surprise parties"!