Footprints in the Snow

After my last post, I was fully expecting a brown Christmas. There was no sign of snow in the forecast, and I began to think it was possible we would hit New Year’s Day without a trace of the white stuff. But God had a different plan.

While it had snowed just enough to cover the grass with a thin layer, the truly magical scene was while I was coming out of my church after the Christmas Eve service. It was a candlelight service that honored the hope that is associated with the coming our our savior. I loved hearing my pastor’s message about the light of the Lord inside each of us. Walking out of the sanctuary to the view of enormous snowflakes floating down from the sky was the icing on the cake. Just what I needed in that moment.

Christmas Day was restful. There were excited children, who were so grateful for every gift they received that I wondered what kind of scheme they were pulling. There were cookies and candies filling an entire table to the point that I worried it would buckle under the weight of it all. There were naps. Cat naps. Long naps. Short naps. All the naps. There was sledding and laughter. Most of all, there was time together.

Today, after the kids and hubby allowed me to sleep all the way until 8 (!!!!!), I woke to the sight of a blanket of snow covering the front and back yards, as smooth as freshly ironed linens. The feelings of contentment far outweighed any seeds of negativity that were attempting to burrow into my heart.

Then, the plows came. Disrupting the clean sheet of snow with chunks of ice and dirt. And the driveway was shoveled. Sending the kids out into the backyard, I watched as my energetic 9 and 7 year old boys tramped through the snow, building snow forts, having a snowball fight, and laughing gleefully as they pelted each other with snow. This. This was the best part. Even better than that smooth sheet of snow I woke up to this morning. I loved watching them from the dining room window, with a cup of hot peppermint tea in my hands. I would rather have a million footprints in that snow all season long than a pristine coat of snow.

Footprints = fun!

Footprints = a childhood full of memories!

Footprints = boots that keep their toes warm in the snowy cold!

Footprints = quality time together!

The evidence of their joy will be there until the next snowfall, when we will repeat the whole process over again. Their squeals of delight will further feed my soul.

What in your life makes you want to shout for joy to God?