A Snow Day

Our 12-year-old granddaughter, Jayne, texted me every hour during the six-hour drive from south Georgia to our house in Virginia a few days after Christmas.

"Hey Nana, can you put some snow in the freezer? That way, we can feel Virginia snow when we get there." she wrote. "Yes, I will, I said, but there was still some snow on the ground." So I sent her photos of about an inch or so still lingering in our yard.

I was hoping it would be there when they got here because they had not seen snow before, and I wanted so much for them to build a snowman.

The weather forecast called for sunshine and temperatures in the 50s, and I felt a little embarrassed, asking God to keep it cloudy and cold until they got here.

When they arrived, they could hardly take the time to hug us before dropping to their knees and putting their hands in the snow. The wonder on their faces as they held it in their hands was priceless, and I whispered, Thank you.

"Nana, it feels cold and icy but amazing."

As soon as their dad unloaded their car, they wanted to build a snowman.

We had just enough to create a small one in the backyard, and you would have thought they were opening their favorite presents on Christmas morning!

It was magical for them, and we stayed outside until their hands were wet and cold.

The next day they discovered more snow still on the ground in the front yard and didn't hesitate to use their new skill of building another, a much more giant snowman, but decided to put one of my hats on it and call it a snowgirl.

They lay on the front lawn and waved their hands up and down, making two snow angels.

Watching them was heartwarming, reminding me how the more minor things in our lives make people happy,

Watching them reminded me of the last year we spent in South Texas. Early one December morning, my husband slipped outside, grabbed a handful of snow, and placed it on my cheek to wake me up.

I jumped up and looked; sure enough, the ground was white with snow. We had lived there for 12 years, and it had hardly ever gotten below 50 degrees.

I grabbed the phone and called our neighbors, who had never seen snow, and said, "Look outside! It snowed last night."

They laughed and told me to open the front door, and when I did, there were little snowmen up and down the street and people throwing snowballs at each other.

My neighbor told me they celebrated the magical white snowflakes most nights.

When the snow was coming down this weekend, I felt the same wonder I do every time I see snow.

It covered the ground, made objects in our yard look like magical creatures, and highlighted the beauty of the bare tree limbs.

I filled my lungs with the cold, wet air and thanked God for the little things that make us happy.