Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
~Robert Frost
Last month I went home for a funeral and after a week of intense emotion I was able to spend a few nights with my sister-in-law before flying back home. Besides the fact that she’s one of my favorite people, my happiness about being there was compounded by experiencing one heck of a beautiful snowstorm the first night. It was perfect! We made the obligatory grocery store run earlier in the day so we were in a house stocked with good food, good wine, laughing kids, warm blankets and working cable!
Before settling in for the night we ventured out into the snowstorm for a walk and there’s no doubt it was a moment of joy in my life. Huge flakes were falling, the neighbor’s home were decorated with Christmas lights, all sound was muffled, and our ordinary world was transforming.
But nothing comes even close to that most delicious joy of all, the announcement that school is cancelled the next day, a friend over for the night, and that first ride down the perfect sledding hill the next morning!
THIS is pure joy!
Ruth and I explored nearby parks while the girls were sledding. After four years of Louisiana winters I was thrilled to be in a snowy landscape and every corner we turned was picture worthy.
Joy is different from childhood to adulthood. In one stage of life it’s mostly taken for granted. In the next stage each and every moment of joy is a gift.
My wish for you on this last day of 2013 is that in the next year your moments of joy far outnumber your moments of sorrow.
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