IT IS COLD!
And let me state upfront that this Mississippi girl is very unhappy with the current temperatures.
If it was not hard enough to return to work this past Monday morning after a nice, long holiday vacation, I awoke to freezing temps and snow flurries. The cold, cold weather was not unexpected, but it was still a shock to my system.
Now, of course, I am aware that other places in the world do not define the term “snow flurries” the same as we do here in the Hospitality State. I get that!
But guess what? I did not sign up to live in those barren, icy places of dark, long-term winters.
So, yes, large pieces of white, fluffy ice that float around my head as I try to safely make my way to the car in the equally unappreciated darkness of Daylight Savings Time are most certainly called “snow flurries” here in the Deep South.
Granted, in the first moments of Monday’s sunrise, the snow-dusted landscape was breathtakingly beautiful, especially as I drove nestled inside my toasty vehicle with its wonderfully heated seats. But as I exited my nice, warm car and headed into my office, that momentary picture of tranquil loveliness soon gave way to the reality of the freezing temps – temperatures that are slated to be with us for a while.
So, as I said before, IT IS COLD, and I don’t like it – not one single bit. (Well, okay, except for that snowing sunrise thing. That was nice!) Even so, wintery cold is still my least favorite kind of weather.
But, oh the heartfelt joy of these days for Mississippi kids!
I would venture to say that a huge majority of them are praying more diligently than they have all year – probably even harder than Christmas Eve – and their one unified prayer is for a full-fledged SNOW DAY!
I have my own fond memories of days spent out of school, playing in the snow. I vaguely even remember some pretty deep snow back in my childhood.
But one of my favorite childhood memories brings me to tears and makes me ashamed to complain about the recent “snow flurries” – because it happened in the predawn hours of a day very much like this past Monday morning.
At the time, I was around 5 or 6 six years old, and my sister would have been 3 or 4. Back then, my mom stayed at home with us, but my dad drove a school bus and worked as a teacher and coach, so I am sure he got up really early that day to prepare for his bus route.
But that morning way back in the 1960s, Daddy awoke to “snow flurries,” with a good even dusting of snow on the ground, and school was canceled for the day.
Instead of whining and complaining like I did this week, he and my mom quietly came into our bedroom, gently woke us up, put our coats over our pjs, slipped our house shoes onto our tiny feet, and carried us out into the backyard to revel in the lightly fallen snow.
I recall that morning so vividly! I can even see the plants and bushes in our yard dusted with snow. And I can see my dad and mom, so young and so in love with each other and with us.
The four of us danced in the waning moonlight, laughing and twirling as we tried to catch the tiny snowflakes on our tongues. It was a magical moment.
What a gift!
My dad must have been so tired. He drove this bus, taught, coached, traveled to games, worked part-time in my grandfather’s blacksmith shop, and went to Mississippi State in his spare time to work on his Master’s degree. And on top of that, he was an attentive, loving husband, father, and son who participated in every facet of our lives.
Yet, instead of jumping back in bed and enjoying a much-needed day out of school, he woke his girls to give them a snowy, white gift that might not have been there later in the morning.
It was a gift that is still giving and teaching me about the magic of snow and the truth of love even now, over 50 years later.
So, let me repent and apologize for my lack of wonder and awe over this wintry weather. And let me join my repentant prayers with those of every school-age kid in Mississippi.
Who knows!
Instead of the ICE DAY that the weathermen are predicting for Friday, our concerted prayers might just result in some big-time “snow flurries” and a real-life SNOW DAY.
After all, childlike faith (at any age) is a miraculous thing. MY daddy taught me that!
