The Season of Snowfall
I sat at my desk in my home office this week and watched the snow falling through most of the day. I thought about how, in a different year of my life, before my own business and home office, I had to commute from South Kansas City to downtown, no matter what. Snow looked so different to me then. The mere mention of snowfall sent me into a mode of focused tactical planning…what route would have the fewest ice-covered bridges? Would additional gas in my car help to add weight and add traction? Did I have everything I needed to dig my car back out at the end of the day if the office garage was full by the time I got there? What was the traffic report? Where were the crashes so far? Did I have a number to call into that 8:00 am meeting I could not miss, in case I had to call in from the road?
It was exhausting before I even got there to start a full day of work.
But this year – in this office - I could watch the softness slowly cover the mess of fall leaves, and create a beautiful, untouched field of white that I had no need to drive through at all. A cup of hot tea sitting at my laptop. A cat snoozing in my lap. It was beautiful.
The different seasons of our lives bring such different meanings and experiences to the exact same events. It all depends on the context – where we are in life right now. As Christmas grows nearer this year, I’m thankful that in this holiday season I’m expecting peace and joy. I know other years, the arrival of the holidays have felt as fraught as that drive into work – with me wondering how to best navigate the emotional icy bridges, dig myself out of sorrow, strap on the emotional armor and just get through it.
It helps to remember during those difficult seasons, that the seasons will turn again. And in a different year, the same exact experience will appear and be filled again with beauty and joy. What once seemed impossible, will arrive effortlessly.
I wish you all a peace and joy kind of holiday.
Holy one – as we wait again for Christmas Day, we thank you for gentle snow we don’t have to drive through, and for all those seasons and holidays that arrive filled with peace and joy. Amen
Diana is a founding member of Peace Church and is thankful for Peace Church, and all the joyful and meaningful Sundays that have come with it.