Days of Thanks #24

 I am grateful for a little surprise I received from the universe today. I had heard that some of the northwest suburbs of DC might get a tiny bit of snow this evening, likely just flurries, but I knew that the District itself was not supposed to get any. I ran out to the grocery store after dark to pick up some ingredients to do a little holiday baking and as I was driving back home, all of a sudden, I saw thousands of tiny flecks of white in my headlights. My heart leapt, and I exclaimed out loud (to my empty car), “It’s snowing!” I was truly excited.  

The flurries disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared—it must have been just a quick burst of moisture, because I saw them for only a few seconds. But those few seconds were long enough for me to realize that snow can still thrill me. Last year, any news of snow here in the city filled me with dread, so sad was I to think of a snowstorm without our beautiful snow-loving child (I posted a few snow pictures the other day, but if you haven’t already seen all of these pictures and videos of her from the 2009-2010 winter, you should go look at them now—they are some of our most treasured memories). 

But today, I got excited before I could even think to be sad. The sadness settled in soon after, but I was so grateful for that initial shot of delight. Hopefully, as time goes on, the delight will last longer before the sadness hits me. And hopefully, one day, the sadness will transform into a softer nostalgia, sweet memories of our precious snow angel to keep us warm on a snowy day.