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Saturday, December 19, 2009

First Real Snow

Last night, we had our first "real" snow of the year, the kind where the snow hits the ground and decides to stick around. As I was driving home from work this morning, I knew that the speed limit was not even an option. Going the speed limit could mean ending up in a ditch, so I took it a bit slower. It took me a bit longer to get home, but I made it. After waking up, my oldest son was chomping at the bit about the snow. He was looking forward to showing me the "snow alien" he had built and wondering where the sled was. Now granted, it was not a lot of snow, but it was enough for children to get excited. In fact, looking out the window now, the snow is lightly falling again.
Listening to Damien, it got me to thinking about the difference between children and grown-ups. Why was my response to the snow so different than his? Why was I dreading the snow, while he was delighting in it? At what point did I begin to see snow as more of a burden than a blessing? Of course the same could be said of most of this world. Wooly bears. Giraffes. Trees budding in the spring and turning brilliant colors in the fall. In the words of author John Eldredge, "At what point did [I] lose [my] wonder at it all?"
These questions led to others. Does wanting to be a responsible adult automatically eliminate being in awe of the surrounding world? Fortunately, that is an emphatic no! Next time I'm driving home on a snow covered road, I'll still be driving slowly. But I'll be seeing it, not as a way of getting home safely, but as an opportunity to soak in the wonder and the beauty of all that surrounds us.

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