snow

Our son loves snow - he has been eagerly watching the weather forecast for weeks, waiting for the magic word Yesterday morning he was excited with a 70% chance - by the evening he was ecstatic as the chance increased to 100% and we were promised more than a dusting.

I am always a bit cynical about weather forecasts - but yesterday afternoon, just before it got dark, I went outside to get something out of the car. One of the girls has a think line of tape on the path outside the house which she uses as a "balance beam" - despite the cold I was asked to watch the "new routine" As I watched an energetic eight year old jump and leap I realised how quiet it was - almost eerily quiet and still. The stillness you often get before a big snowstorm!

It is an odd thing - but that stillness is something I have noticed - the world seems almost suspended in time. Despite the improbability of snow at Jesus birth I can understand the artistic temptation to put it there - because if there was a fresh fall of snow there would have been stillness, crisp air, and a sense of expectation somewhere far beyond our rational mind.

Snow dampens down the noise of the world - in areas where it is not permanently on the ground in winter it allows children a break from the winter routine Of course there are very real practical issues with it and I am not a "snow romantic" but as we come so much closer to Christmas I want to hold onto that stillness and the quietness - I want to revel in the childish sense of expectation as we wait for Jesus.