During the months of January and February our neighborhood has been covered in the pretty white stuff that kids love and adults hate. I notice when it snows the world becomes a little less noisy. The soft blanket covers the dirtiness that lies below and makes the dark nights brighter. Often we find ourselves complaining when the temperatures drop and the flakes begin to fly. Our kids are in one room praying “Please Lord, no school” and parents in the other “Please Lord, let there be school.” These are the days I am often reminded of how God blesses with opportunities when we see nothing but walls of grey, dirty muck.
Our after-school program attendance seems to shrink when these days come. However, that can be one of the opportunities mentioned above. Our staff works so hard to help each student with their educational, emotional, social, and spiritual lives that sometimes we are spread thin. When these snow days come we find that we have more one on one interaction that allows some much needed investments. Sometimes it may be in the form of sitting and playing board games like a family or maybe just taking the time walking from school to catch a falling snowflake. It even gives the students a chance to spend some one on one time with our beloved Proof or spend some time celebrating positive behavior with a party. These are times that allow us to invest in the lives of the students God has blessed us with and to share in the smiles that come from snow days.
So on your next snow day, when you find yourself looking out the window with a heavy heart. Remember, it may be a day that God is going to fill with opportunities to help out your neighbor (or a taxi driver). We don’t always know what is in store for us when we step out the door. Thankfully we serve one who does.
