Recycled Snow

This year we've had snow so much earlier than we've had in the last 4 or 5 years that it feels like Christmas. I loved that when I came home from the hospital the first thing that greeted me was the sound of Christmas carols playing. I love the feeling of festivity that the snow brings. I love that is provides another outlet of play for my kids - especially when we are so blessed with days warm enough to enjoy the snow but not so warm that it is gone in one day. The snow around here has been put to many good uses - you could almost call it recycled snow.

Just after the snows I looked out into my backyard to find:

All the snow off the back deck had been heaped into one central pile. A few days later that same pile of snow was recycled and now looked like this:

From above

From below

Yup! The kids put together their own hills for sledding. They played out there for hours and eventually played themselves out, so once again, that same snow was again recycled - this time to make a snow fort. I didn't get pictures of their fort, but the broke it into chunks and stacked it to make a fort to play in. Snow is pretty fun.

Along with the snow came a bit of a surprise. Living in town I don't think we've ever seen an owl nearby, yet only a few days ago we looked out our window and were surprised to see an great big owl perched in the tree just outside our window...

Winter is filled with delights. Often when I think of winter I am tempted to dwell on the harsh, cold elements that make travel difficult and the inconvenience of having to bundle up to go outside. Of course there is always the need to be careful when there is ice so as to avoid unnecessary injury. Life is sometimes a little like winter. There are days that feel harsh and cold, but those same days are also filled with the great possibilities for the fun and delight that my children found - we simply have to take advantage of the opportunities for good even in the face of harshness or unkindness. I love that there is joy in winter. It is a beautiful time of year made even better by the anticipation of Christmas. It is such a blessing to experience the changing seasons and even winter is a very enjoyable season at our house.