Around here, we can have some snowy days this time of year. Snow can be challenging. It can be a joy.
After a snowfall, when our grandchildren were little, we would pull them on a sled around the yard. If they didn’t hold on tightly, they would gently roll off onto a cushion of snow. We would help them climb back on the sled and remind them to hold on. We would do this activity until we grandparents got tired. They thought it was great fun. So did we.
Snow invites playfulness. I have a treasured childhood memory of sledding with my friends. There was a hill close by that was superb for sledding.
There’s a feel of freedom in the snowy downhill sledding experience.
The hillside became a place of togetherness. We would coach each other, cheer, help with a starting push, and of course, compete for the fastest, longest run. We became expert at finding a “perfect” spot to begin the run down for the best possible ride.
Once momentum ran out at the bottom of the hill, we would trek back up to begin again. It seemed we repeated the cycle for hours until it “was time to come in.”
On these occasions, I think the Lord was teaching us to savor the joy of life’s simplest moments. I believe His Spirit was at work in the playfulness, in the delight of these hillside times. The perseverance of the climb, the vision from the hillcrest, the joy of the ride, the community of friendship – the Lord blessed us with these, with perseverance, vision, joy, and community on those glorious, snowy days.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, 16th-century saint, mystic, and founder of the Jesuits, observed that we can “find God in all things.” With God’s grace, our prayer helps us find how the Lord has been present in the joys and challenges we have faced. We become increasingly attentive to how God’s Spirit moves and consoles us. He accompanies us in all ways.
I think the memories we cherish can teach us how to see our present and look forward to our future.
“Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart’s desire.” (Psalm 37:4)
Prayer positions us to find the grace at work within us, in our life circumstances and family relationships.
Let our family prayer ask the Lord to help us find His loving presence in all of our days.