All last week, we were watching the weather forecast for this week because it appeared that our first BIG snowfall (blizzard) for the year was on the horizon. Sometimes in Nebraska, snow is on the forecast, but then it does not appear. This was NOT one of those times. Most towns near us, and including ours, had school cancellations BEFORE any snow even fell, because the meteorologists were totally sure we were in for it. And.. we were! Yesterday, the snow started falling around 7:30 a.m. or so (about a half hour after my husband left for work), and it just kept falling. All day long. It was beautiful to watch from the warmth of my living room chair, but as the day went on, I wondered, “How is Allan (my husband) going to park in our driveway??!” I am not physically able to shovel snow, so that was out. My daughter Martha is still getting over mono, so I wasn’t sure if that was the best option. I pondered it for a couple hours, and probably worried more than I should have.
Thankfully, when I mentioned it to her, Martha was TOTALLY up for shoveling. She LOVES the snow, and was itching to get out into it. About 30 minutes before hubby was expected home, she headed out, cute as can be in her brand new hot pink winter coat, with braided pigtails and matching hot pink tennis shoes. (Yes, the girl needs boots for future snow days). (Photo is her smiling at our security camera, so it’s a bit pixelated).
She worked hard to create an opening for my husband’s car and a walkway for him to get to the house, and then when I expected her to come in, she headed over to the lawn area to make a snowman. I continued watching from my warm kitchen, drinking hot decaf peppermint mocha coffee, and might have had a tear or two in my eyes.
It’s been a rough couple of months for Martha. She got mono right around Thanksgiving, and basically missed ALL the fun parts of the end of the first semester. She wasn’t able to compete in One Act when they went to State, she didn’t get to perform in the show choir concert after choreographing one of the numbers for her team, and she wasn’t able to work for several weeks, which meant no paycheck and NO Christmas shopping. And doing anything, schoolwork included, made her exhausted. Needless to say, she’s a bit behind, been a little stressed, and feeling isolated and tired of feeling tired. Watching her outside, working and then playing in the snow, and seeing her BRIGHT beautiful smile, was such a gift.
And the peppermint mocha decaf coffee? Just my favorite Christmas gift from the family – decaf coffee Keurig pods and Peppermint Mocha creamer. So perfect for snow days like yesterday… and today! It continued to snow last night until some time early this morning. Martha is not out shoveling today, but my husband is home, so he is! Thankful for HIM too!
What are you grateful for today? What are small blessings (or big ones) that you can thank God for?