Winter, Snow and an Angel’s Wish

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” ~ Isaiah 55:10-11

The snow angel lay silently in the knee-deep snow as her creator ran merrily off to seek the warmth of her home.  When the coast was clear, she stood up and brushed the icy crust from her gown, which sparkled like tiny diamonds in the moonlight.  She took a deep breath of the frigid air and gently blew it out, creating a large cloud of steam.  Ahhhh…it was such a beautiful night.  Separated by the moon, the stars and sparkling snow seemed to be reflections of each other, and the thick blanket of snow covered the landscape around her in perfect quiet.  She tipped her face heavenward and whispered a prayer of thanks for this marvelous frozen gift from above, as her existence depended on it.  Without snow, she would not be able to visit her beloved charge.

‘Snow’ smiled as she looked toward the house and thought about the woman who had brought her back again.  Their relationship was forged many years ago when her creator, Sara, was a young girl in Indiana.  One cold winter evening after saying goodnight to her favorite horse, Sara left the barn and on the way back to the farmhouse she impulsively flopped down into the deep snow and made a snow angel.  Little did she know that her newly created snow angel would be her winter guardian and would delight in all the joys that winter brought to Sara throughout her life.

Each year, as fall slipped into winter, Sara eagerly anticipated the first snowflakes and rejoiced in the first snowfalls…the deeper, the better.  And each year, Snow would return whenever Sara merrily plopped down in the thick blanket of snow and moved her arms and legs in rhythmic motion, calling forth her angel.  Throughout the years, Snow watched with a heart overflowing with joy as she watched Sara play in the magical white crystals of her angel’s DNA…going sledding with friends; riding in the horse drawn sleigh with her daddy, bells jingling with every step; building snow forts with her sisters; instigating snowball fights with boyfriends; taking romantic winter walks with her husband; ice skating on frozen snow-covered ponds with her children.  And one glorious winter day, Sara taught her own children how to create snow angels!  Snow’s heart nearly burst with delight, for she now had her own snow angel children who would forever keep watch over Sara’s sweet progeny.

Snow’s children were now spread across the vast land known as the United States…in Ohio, Idaho and Texas.  Alas, she did not get to see them often.  But every few years, God lovingly aligned a fresh blanket of snow with the winter holidays, and as Sara and her children gathered to celebrate, Snow was blessed with a reunion of her own family.  When the merry feast was over and the dishes were cleaned and put away, Sara and her children would grab their coats and run out into the frigid night.  Shrieking with laughter and shivering from the cold, they would seek out perfect spots of pristine sparkling snow, plop down, and quickly move their arms up and down, legs out and in…bringing to life their angels..Snow’s beloved children.

Snow let out a soft sigh and another cloud of steam.  The moonlit night was giving way to the pink rays of dawn.  She had so enjoyed reminiscing of days gone by…it was such a joy to be a part of Sara’s life.  It was soon time to sink back into the impression in the snow that Sara had just created, because Sara would be waking up early.  Today was her birthday!  Snow walked over to one of Sara’s beloved rosebushes, and plucked a red bloom that had stubbornly resisted winter’s wrath.  Carrying it over to her place in the snow,  she sat down and carefully smoothed out her gown to match the impression.  Then she looked toward the house and whispered, “Happy Birthday, dear Sara. God loves you so, and delights in your joy of His gift of winter.  My wish for you is that each snowflake you see will remind you that you are His perfect and beautiful creation…you are one of a kind.  Till we meet again, dear child.”

A cold wind swirled around her, sprinkling her with a fresh dusting of snow.  Slowly, the angel lay back and sunk deep in to her impression, her form merging with the frozen crystals as she disappeared.  She left the red rose behind for Sara to find upon rising.  She knew that the night’s fresh snowfall would be the first thing that Sara would want to explore.  <3

A note from Jenn:  Happy Birthday, Mother!  I just might get to make a snow angel today! 🙂 xoxo