Snow Days

I remember praying to God for snow days when I was in school. I prayed for those days when the sleds and toboggan would be taken down from the walls of the equipment shed and the runners 'shined up' for serious sledding on the hill which ran from our home towards the creek, an eighth of a mile away or so. I prayed for those cold winter days when the pond was so frozen over we could skate on it, with ice deep enough the occasional fish would be frozen fast into the heart of it. I prayed for those days when snow, cold and ice were the gifts of a benevolent God who heartily believed children were birthed just for the fun such weather afforded them.

Then I became an adult.

Oh, I still pray for snow days, but for much different reasons. Now I pray for a day or two when the office is quiet and I have the time to get caught up on my work. Now I pray for enough snow, late enough in the night or early enough in the morning, so Nancy will receive that blessed phone call from above (her School Superintendent) announcing that there will be no school today and she not have to make her 30 mile drive one way before receiving the news. Now I pray for enough snow to warrant using the snow blower (the bigger the boys, the bigger the toys), so the snow shovel can stay hanging on the wall of the garage. Now I pray for the snow, cold, and ice, so that our family has a few moments together to be a family, without all of the schedules, events, and expectations that are a part of our 'normal' routine. Now I pray for snow days that I might attend to those jobs which Nancy has quietly set aside for me on such days - and which I have managed to put off for as long as I humanly dare.

But, there is still a bit of the child in me.

When a snow day is called, I lounge over the paper with a cup of coffee. I dress warmly and open the sidewalks around our home and at the church. I wander over to our neighbor's home with the snow blower or shovel and make sure her sidewalks and steps are open - and enjoy lingering in an unhurried conversation. I like to take a running start and slide down the parking lot, hearing Nancy's shouted warnings, much like my Mother's before her, and disregarding them in the glee of reckless abandon. I love to stand in the snow and let it accumulate on my clothes and face, reaching out with my tongue to 'taste' a few of those pure white morsals. I delight in the quiet of a snow day, in the stillness of traffic which cannot move quickly (though I am fairly certain the drivers do not share my delight), and in the sound of the crunching of winter's wonderland beneath my feet.

Most of all, a snow day is an unexpected holiday: a gift completely undeserved and full of glee and surprise in its arrival. A snow day is blessing, a grace shared with many, and a mercy touching my heart in its sacredness.

Snow days do not come without cost and many are the folks who have to clear the roads for traffic and who do not have the latitude to enjoy them. For those folks, I am eternally grateful, and it is only now that I am a father that I can begin to fully appreciate what snow days meant for my parents, when we kids were at home and didn't have to go to school. Still, I pray for snow days, for in praying for snow days I find myself praying for time unfettered, laughter released, and the peace to ponder beyond the schedule. One might argue that it would be easier just to regularly plan 'days off' to do all of those things, but I know myself and I know I would find a way to fill all of the time of a regular day off so that it would be little more than the days I am at work.

So, for today, I thank God for a snow day. In the holiness of its arrival, I have been filled to overflowing with joy and memories. In its purity, I can see my life once more in the way God sees me all the time - and am reminded to aspire to God's vision always. Enjoy the snow days!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don