A Perfect Moment

This past Monday, the quote on my daily desk calendar read, "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." (Author Unknown).

I love it when a quote makes you stop and think, has special meaning to you on the day you are hearing/reading it, or reminds you of a special moment. For me, the quote did the latter ... it took me back to the day before. My family was acting as Greeters at church. There weren't too many people to greet, as we were in the midst of a snowstorm and many people weren't able to make it in that morning.

My kids, bursting with joy at the fact that snowflakes were falling from the sky, could barely contain themselves, and were splitting their time between greeting duties and standing outside in the snow.

My three-year old daughter came in and excitedly exclaimed that they had caught some snowflakes on their tongue "...by going like this!!", at which point she leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and stuck out her tongue! Our interim pastor, Pastor Wally, just as excited at the prospect, joined my kids outside. What a sight it was to see tall Pastor Wally, standing next to my 6-year old son and three-year old daughter, as they all leaned back and tried to catch snowflakes on their tongue.

At that moment, I was thinking two things ... 1) Pastor Wally is such a great sport and really good at being 'in the moment' with kids; and 2) They are experiencing true bliss!

Yes, it was necessary to stand out in the frigid air to catch the snowflakes, but - as this quote alludes - it was totally worth it. And, quite frankly, I don't think any of them were feeling the cold at all.