Southern Snow

It snowed today.  Second time of 2010.  The first was January 7th, which of course, was God's way of telling us Bama was going to win the National Championship.   lol  Today, it snowed 2 inches at my house.  Two inches?!?!?  (I hear you snickering.)  Two inches is a ton of snow for this neck of the woods!

I was thinking about my kiddos as they sat all bundled up, with 47 wet articles of clothing strewn around the house, after they played outside.  (Well, Chandler and Ty played outside.  Kaleb and Ramsi Kate decided it looked better from the window...only AFTER I got them all bundled up and they soaked their clothing.)  Not one of my kids was disappointed that their Valentine's parties were being missed at school.  It was SNOWING!!!  Thirty-four years a southern girl, seeing the powdery stuff fall from the sky is still so magical.  But why is it so magical to us?   


In the average life of a Southerner, you'll be lucky to catch one good snowfall a year.  Some years go buy with no snow, or just a flurry or two.  Rarely do we get chances to build snowmen, throw snowballs, or hear the sound of fresh snow crunching under our shoes.  The way it falls on your face, packs in your hands.... those just aren't sensations we get accustomed to.  The way our normal green landscape looks all blanketed in white.  It's just beautiful.  A kinda of beauty we are used to only viewing in pictures.


But most of all, I think it's the underlying memories of time spent together.  When winter weather surprises us, we have an unexpected date with those we love.  Parents are outside with kids, playing as if they were children themselves.  Work, school, and chores are put aside....and replaced with the carefree joys of simple fun.  Pictures are put in albums.... and labeled "Baby's First Snow."  The 27th of January.....the night I became a mother.... it snowed.  Snow just simply marks special days.  Snow is a vacation that comes to you.


Day to day, I get preoccupied with duties that can't be ignored.  But today.... the rare appearance of snow had me outside with my babies, crunching the snow under my feet and giggling with them as they did the same.  We made snow cream and hot chocolate, and I rubbed cold wet toes and fingers to warm them when we were spent.  It was a special day, from start to finish.  When I tucked Ty in, he said, "Will it snow again tomorrow, Mama?"  His little face crumpled in disappointment when I told him it would not.  For a fleeting moment, I wished it would snow more often....but then thought that if it did, this day would not have been spent the way that it was.  I'm thankful for that.