The snow is falling this morning…big, fluffy flakes. Sleeping memories awaken to catch the flakes in their little girl hands trying, in vain, to see the patterns of the snowflakes…every single snowflake, an original design. I remember trying to catch them with my hands, only to see them melt before I could see their uniqueness.  Mom told us to keep our mittens on and we’d be able to see them. She warned us to hold our breath and look quickly. They weren’t meant to stay for long. And I’d watch the snowflakes floating down so slowly…turning end over end, round and round. There were so many snowflakes…how would I choose just one?  There it was! It’s was so big and perfect…I was so excited to see it…I stayed directly beneath it…and I watched it as it floated down….down….down. It landed, so gently, in the palm of my hand.  I held my breath and looked!!!! How did it do that!  It was perfect, indeed. Such a delicate and beautiful design. And it was the only one with that pattern!  A single snowflake among millions of snowflakes…with a beauty all its own.

Since I was just a little girl, I’ve delighted in catching snowflakes. They are as beautiful as they are unique. They land on my windshield and for just a split second I can see their design. So perfect…and I wish they could stay. I feel like that about flowers, too….and sunrises…so beautiful…I wish they could stay…just for a moment longer…so that I can take the time to really see every nuance…to smell every flower. Maybe that’s why my Christmas decorations are still up and shining…I’m not quite ready to say good bye. Closing everything up in their boxes again for a whole year…seems cruel. There is so much joy in all things Christmas. To everything there is a season…of this, I’m sure.

I think it’d be so much easier if there was something between now and warmer weather. Yes, there’s Valentine’s Day…and…more candy??? Ewwww    nope.  I mean, it’d be wonderful, wouldn’t it, if tomorrow was the beginning of spring?   I’d have flowers to plant and the pool to open?  We’d have warm days and gentle breezy evenings to look forward to…but as it isn’t even the middle of winter yet, I guess we will just have to intentionally find absolute joy in other ways. Thanks to my sister, Shelley, I’ve discovered birds.  I know that sounds strange, at least it did to me. But I love watching them…I feed them and look forward to seeing who comes to visit. Big red-headed woodpeckers and little chickadees and finches. I love how the finches are purple and yellow during the summer months…Cardinals are still my favorite…they make me believe that the angels are near and keeping their eye on us all.  Shelley bought me a bird book for Christmas, one year. I love it and I use it as a reference book to identify the occasional bird that isn’t familiar to me…yet. 

The time for spring will come when it’s ready. I can take this time to do the things that will make my life even better and leave more time for the pool.  I will clean out closets and donate the things that I haven’t even touched since we’ve moved here…I will sort my Tupperware and find lids! I will go through my kitchen drawers and collect what isn’t used…and get rid of it all! There is so much freedom in life-decluttered.

I will use this time to get myself ready for my bathing suit. It does me little good to begin getting back into shape in May…when I feel more like it. A body in motion stays in motion.  That, I know, is true. So, I begin today, albeit, slowly.  I, also, know that when I do five miles before I’ve done three…well, let’s just say that I will begin with three miles and work my way back up to five. Lookie there!  It’s only taken 64 years for that lesson to sink in.   I guess, better late than never.

It’s January 2, 2021 and I’m excited to see what this brand new year has for me and for those that I love.  Feeling full of gratitude for the years that have passed, I am ever optimistic for the days to come.  We have the ability to create the magic that lives in every choice that we make.  The pages are blank and we have the pen. If our goal is to enjoy the days of our lives, then let’s make the plan to do that.  Seek out, focus on and keep only the things that serve you in your goal to live your best life...to be able to lie awake just long enough at the end of every day to release to the universe, from the light that lives in us all our most sincere gratitude and thanks.  And to feel the love that lives in you today and always.  Happy New Year!