Have you ever noticed a snowflake
after it has fallen onto your winter coat, or your woolen glove? Some are
strange looking, others messy looking – yet there is always that one and only
which stands out. There is always that
one and only that becomes your special friend for the day. The one that makes
you smile, the one that speaks to you, the one that pays you a short visit as
you walk along the streets. There is always that one and only that you hope
would stay put on your coat or your glove, so that you could show it off to the
next person you run into. You beg it to stay with a stare from your eyes.
Unfortunately, it melts away as quickly as it appears. It’s beautiful. It’s
regal. It’s enchanting. It’s a work of art, it’s a gift of nature, and it’s a
message from God. It is perfectly formed, and is magically cut out as if it
were created in an arts and crafts class. It resembles a piece of exquisite
lace, or a miniature crocheted stitch from one of grandma’s doilies. Remember
those?
Children adore snow. However, what
they see is “the sum of all of its parts” in one big snowfall, as they
patiently wait to go out and play in it. They jump in it, talk to it, sing to
it, laugh with it. They make snow angels, throw snowballs, build snowmen…and
just enjoy the mystery of snow in the simplest ways, without question. If they
listen closely, the snow speaks into their innocent ears in the form of a cold
and tingly snowflake. Yes, snowflakes live among us through the whispers of
nature.
Adults adore snow too. Only before
they see the beauty of it, they also recognize “the sum of all of its parts” in
one big snowfall, as they wait to go out and shovel it. They walk in it, slip
in it, drive in it, skid in it, and often times argue with it. They clear their
properties so people can walk by, they dig out their cars so they can get to
work or run errands, and they continue to watch those awful inches grow higher
and nastier by the hour…But yes, adults too may enjoy the mystery of snow in
the simplest ways; but most times miss its loveliness by wondering only about
the effects of “the sum of all of its parts”.
Sometimes in life, we are told to
stop and smell the coffee – or stop and smell the roses. Well, while that is
good advice, let’s add one more idiom to the mix. That is, “Stop and appreciate
the snowflakes”. Their message is bright and clear. When the perfect one falls
on top of you, take notice and befriend it. Let it walk with you, let it talk
with you, let it teach you about life before it quickly disappears. The
conversation between you will be subtle, yet perfect. Its perfection will tell
you that there is something much greater than ourselves who is in control of
our universe. What a gift it is to receive such a message through the beauty of
a snowflake.
SNOWFLAKES
A gift of nature, a
message from God
They are a work of art - regal beauty
So enchanting as they fall to earth
So white, so pure, and
heaven-sent
Exquisite lace – grand perfection
Amazing
to the naked eye
Kissed by angels upon
descent
Crocheted by hands of celestial pride
So
wondrous, so divine, the astral cousin
Stellar and glorious
in magic and mystery
Formation born of unrivaled magnificence
Its
pattern perfectly aligned – so picturesque
So reverent and
saintly in its lone state
Adored by its creator, viewed from up
above
One
snowflake - then two, three, maybe four
A beautiful snowfall brings more and more
The sum
of all of its parts
–
yet one snowflake will roar!
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