precious birthday gift

Living in northeast Texas does not bring many opportunities for true winter weather, and the snow days experienced in my 40 years barely register in the double digits. For me, winter is 40 degrees with occasional black ice on the streets and a handful of school closings out of “fear” of winter rather than actual occurrence. Perhaps this is why snow is still so very magical to me.

My favorite snow memory was a precious birthday gift, just last year in March. March! Our holiday season had been warm, and January began with little change. Temperatures finally dropped and remained for a time during February, but then we began to look forward again to warmer weather and springtime on the way. My birthday came on March 3rd and the weather was beautiful, sunny and cool. I never expected to be standing on my balcony that same evening watching huge white flakes from heaven pouring down upon our small Texas town.

As I stepped out onto my balcony for a closer look, I was struck by the complete silence of my community. Though one of my neighbors was standing nearby on her terrace, we simply acknowledged each other with a smile but never said a word. Something about the moment required a reverence. Our parking lot was barely lit that night, allowing the moon to create a romantic glow around us. No one was on the street. Cars were covered with inches of fresh powder, and the wind had picked up just enough to cause spirals of swirling snow to dance through the air as they made their way past us and down the road. The beauty of it was breathtaking, but the stillness of the night was as moving as a summer symphony. I never felt the cold air as I stood outside and praised God for His precious birthday gift. And when the morning came and our community was covered in acres of white, I praised Him once again as I drove through the streets to my office. I even stopped a few times on the way to capture photos of the crystallized trees lining my route. My heart rejoiced at a God who could bring such radiance to a barren land unused to seasonal changes.

We had another blanketing of snow a few days later that week, but it didn’t have the same impact as my birthday snow. I treasure it even now as a gift from my Heavenly Father, one shared with the entire town that felt like a celebration in honor of me.

   image from Parade.com