When 2018 began, there was snow in the forecast for Charleston, SC. The meteorologists said we could get up to three inches, but I was skeptical. I couldn’t imagine anything more than a dusting – not even enough to cover the grass. This is my fourth winter here in Charleston. Every year, my six-year-old asks, “When is it going to snow?” Every time, I tell him, “It isn’t going to snow, sweetheart. We live in Charleston. It never snows here.” We lived in Norfolk, VA, when he was a toddler, so he has seen snow, but he doesn’t remember it. Norfolk gets (what I think is) just the right amount of snow: usually one snowfall of about six inches each winter. It’s just enough to give the kids a couple of days off from school and the opportunity to have a snowball fight and build a snowman.
I grew up in Connecticut, where the snow starts falling around Christmas and remains on the ground until late March. Now that I’m an adult, I prefer to live in a warmer climate where I don’t have to worry about slipping on ice, but I do miss the snow. There’s nothing like the feeling of waking up and peeking out the window, only to discover that the world has been blanketed in white. Then comes the news that school is canceled! Yay! When I was a kid, I lived in a small town at the top of a mountain, where we often got one, two, or even three feet of snow at a time. I remember watching the snowplow clear our long driveway, piling the snow into a huge mound – perfect for climbing up, sliding down, and tunneling through.
When Derek and I moved to South Carolina four years ago, we thought it was a temporary arrangement. We fully intended to move back to Virginia last year, but somehow things changed. Apparently, God had other plans for us. We decided to buy a house and settle here long-term. Some days, I’m thrilled that we decided to stay. Other days, I wonder if this was the biggest mistake we’ve ever made. Back in December, we went to an event at my son’s school. The students had decorated Christmas trees using themes from books they read in class. One of the trees had a “Snow Day” theme, and included handwritten notes that answered the question, “What would you do if you had a snow day?” Remembering the joy of my childhood snow days and realizing my children would never have the same experience nearly brought tears to my eyes. I turned to Derek and said, “These kids will never get a snow day. That makes me so sad.”
On January 3rd, we were at home, making cookies and enjoying what was supposed to be the last day of winter break. It was raining, and with the unusually frigid temperature, a thin layer of ice began to cover everything outside. “Great,” I thought, “Freezing rain. That will make for a fun ‘snow day’ tomorrow.” Then around 1:00, it started to snow. Real snow! That heavy snow that comes down in huge flakes and quickly covers the ground. “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” I yelled as I grabbed my coat and my camera. My little guy, who was still in his pajamas, put on his coat and came out with me because he wanted to catch snowflakes on his tongue. We acted like we had never seen snow before – turning our faces to the sky and giggling with delight. Over the next six hours, we got five inches of snow – the most Charleston had seen since 1989.
Over the next couple of days, we had snowball fights, made snow angels, built a snowman, and went sledding. I went for long walks, admiring how beautiful everything looked dressed in white, and listening to the snow crunch beneath my boots. But for me, the snow was more than pretty scenery and fun times with the family. This snow was proof that anything is possible. What a fitting way to begin a new year in a new home in this new life of ours.
The snow in Charleston was like a wink from God as he whispered to me, “I’ve got this.” He knows better than I do what my kids need. If they need to experience the joy of a snow day, he can make it happen. Whatever our family needs, he can provide. The dictionary defines “miracle” as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” Of course, snow is explicable by the laws of nature, but seeing snow in Charleston seemed nearly miraculous to me. It made me wonder, “What other things have I declared impossible that could actually be imminent?” Even when I think something is completely impossible, God can pull it off. Sometimes, I don’t even have to ask. He’s that gracious. The snow was an incredible gift that I never expected. For me, it was the gift of hope.
Part of the thrill of a snow day is the magical glow of our world as the snow reflects the light from the sun. It was so bright inside our house that I said to Derek, “I wish we were finished remodeling the house. This would be the perfect day for an interior photo shoot!” (File that under “things bloggers say.”) But the snow did more than brighten up the house. It illuminated a new perspective for me. It reminded me that amazing things can happen when we least expect them. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones we didn’t even ask for. Change can be really hard, but God’s grace is abundant.
If it snows in Charleston again next year, you can blame me. I will be praying for snow every winter from now on! When it snows in the South, nearly everything closes – schools, businesses, stores, restaurants, and of course, bridges. We don’t have snow blowers, plows, or sand trucks, but we don’t fret. We just wait for the sun to clear the roads. In the meantime, we dig out with beach shovels, turn swim flippers into snowshoes, and go sledding with boogie boards or tubing with pool floats. By the way, did you know you can snow ski behind a golf cart much like you would water ski behind a boat? Let me tell you, Southerners are creative and resourceful people!
I’ll never forget our Southern snow days. I’ll treasure the memories we made, and these pictures will continue to serve as a reminder that anything is possible for those who have hope.
This was a great read Joy! Glad the entire family had fun.
Thanks, Jeannie! Hope you’re making some sweet winter memories this year, too!