Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Snow Day Joy

Day 6 of 31 at Two Writing Teachers!
Whenever I wake up to a wondrous white world, my heart starts to soar.  Snow muffles the harsh sounds of the city, brightens the dark dreariness of Midwestern winters, and softens the sharp edges of man-made constructions.  The world is reborn, reclaimed by nature's stunning beauty.

Somehow, the magic of this overnight transformation reminds me that goodness and wonder are all around.

the magical view from my window this morning!
When I was a giggly little girl, snow days meant a flurry of activity.  Sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend, I'd spend the afternoon busily building snow forts and shuttling myself around the yard in my plastic sled until I couldn't feel my nose anymore.  Inside the house, my mom would have a mug of sweet hot chocolate waiting for me, and I'd curl up and read until dinner time.  In the evening, Daddy and I might go cross-country skiing through a dazzling white forest or play hockey on the home-made ice rink he built every year in the backyard.

Now, a snow day is more of a much-needed day of rest.  Exhausted from the grueling (yet rewarding) work of teaching, there's nothing I enjoy more than an unexpected chance to sleep in, relax, and spend some quiet time at home.  However, sometimes I still get an urge to go outside and build a snow fort!
Husband and I built this igloo together during the big snow storm of 2009!

8 comments:

  1. I love it!"Snow muffles the harsh sounds of the city, brightens the dark dreariness of Midwestern winters, and softens the sharp edges of man-made constructions. The world is reborn, reclaimed by nature's stunning beauty." Beautifully written.. elegant and poignant.. and yet you also capture the childhood wonder and excitement we still tend to feel on such a day. I'm with you! Thanks :)

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  2. What a beautiful world when it is covered in fluffy white snow! I'm glad you got a day to rest and relax.

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  3. I'm afraid we're getting the muffling snow tomorrow! It's nice to get that extra sleepy time though!

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  4. And I forgot. I thought you were going to mention that some of your students posted heir slices today even on their day off.

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    1. I was going to say that, Donna, and then I couldn't find a good way to work it in. I'm planning to write a post soon about how amazing this challenge has been for them. I'm so proud of them! :-)

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  5. So great to hear from all of you that you had a snow day! What a real pleasure! Jennifer, when you told about your dad building an ice rink, I thought I must tell you to get Twelve Kinds of Ice. It's a marvelous book about just that, fiction, but a memoir too. You will love it! I also love your fort. Our last blizzard a few years ago I spent time building benches & chairs. Don't ask why, but the snow was so deep I couldn't resist making places to sit. And then I put one snow lady on one-much fun!

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  6. We had a snow day last week, but not really enough snow to build a fort! Love your photos!

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  7. I love your magical view and eloquent words. There's nothing more fun than a snow day! I don't even have to go outside to appreciate all the beauty the snow brings. Sadly, none for us this year.

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