Today I was tired, grouchy, and cold. The last thing I wanted to do was go outside, where it was even colder than our partially unheated house. But I needed to do my daily walk, so outside I went.
As I walked the first lap, I thought about how much I missed having snow. We’d came close to having a White Christmas last year, but the same storm that almost flooded us on Christmas Day also washed away all the snow. This less than cheerful memory wasn’t helping, and I felt even more tired and dispirited. I paused to rest at the top of the driveway.
As I was standing there, staring off into the dark of evening, I saw a tiny snowflake drift by. Then another, and another, until the air was all a-flurry.
I’m not so arrogant as to believe that the snow was a special gift for me, but it was a gift. I accepted it as such and said a thank-you to the sky. Then, with the snow as my encouragement, I powered through the rest of my walk.