Snow Day

The worship service had just finished and people roamed the halls, talking, hugging, laughing.  A child ran past me, bright-eyed and shouted, "It's snowing!!"  I looked through the large glass doors and it was.  The flakes were small, but there were thousands, hundreds of thousands, floating through the air, settling onto the sidewalk, the bushes, the cars like glitter.  All afternoon they continued their descent; a peace settled over our little town with every flake. 

Today I wake up to a thin shroud of snow.  The leaves I never raked are still visible under the ethereal veil.  Tire tracks have left wide impressions on the street and there are footprints on the sidewalk.  I look outside and it's snowing again, just like yesterday, the intricacies of nature falling silently to the earth.  The light is blue on this morning and the house seems dim even with a lamp glowing beside my desk. 

I finish the last sip of my hot chocolate and pull my legs up to my chest, a chill running down my spine.  This is a day to curl up in bed with a book, to make a full pot of tea and to don the fuzzy socks that keep my feet toasty through the winter.  This is a day for hot soup and homemade bread, a puzzle or a card game, a thick blanket.

Today of all days is a day to stay warm, Dear Friends.