During this time of year I check the weather twice a day…for snow. They say there are some things you loved so much as a child that you never out grow. For me, this is snow. I guess it may stem from living at the beach and only watching snowfall on television. On the rare times we got any snow it was never enough to sled in or build anything but a glorified pile of snow that we called a snowman (which required all the snow in our yard to make) so I was beyond thrilled when I got a chance to go sledding for the first time ever. I LOVED every minute of playing in the snow and I’m pretty sure I acted just like a child does, but I am not ashamed.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed my day, I couldn’t help but reminiscing on the past. As a child, I took almost yearly trips to Boone, NC to go skiing and just embrace the winter weather. These trips were sometimes with close friends and extended family, but usually they were with my father. I may not have fully appreciated it as a child, but now I recall how patient and loving he was as a man who had to teach a clumsy little girl not to fall and keep giving up.
Sometimes I feel like I’m doing great and sometimes I feel like I miss you so much I can’t go on.
Thank you for teaching us to always question the world around us, but to never lose our faith.
Thank you for your patience, sense of adventure, and gentle spirit.
Thank you for teaching me to love the simple things in life, like the snow.
I give you this one thought to keep-
I am with you still – I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the sweet uplifting rush,
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft starts that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone –
I am with you still in each new dawn.
– Traditional Native American Prayer
Our Journey to Elope 