First Snow

 First Snow

 

There is always something special about the first snow of the season. I remember as a little girl standing in the yard, my face turned up to the sky, trying to catch fluffy flakes of snow on my tongue.

 

Our first snow this year came a bit earlier than usual, but as it turns out, just at the right time. Mike was in town from Florida. I was able to enjoy the experience through a fresh lens. 

 

Fortunately, the roads were clear.

We planned a trip to my cousin’s house for that day. I didn’t question the notion of him driving on the snowy roads. It wasn’t bad, though. For the most part, the roads were clear. My cousin John and his wife live on a beautiful farm northwest of where I live, but still in Ohio.

 

John and Jewel tap the sugar maple trees in their woods and make syrup every year. It is sweet and tasty; Made even more delicious because of the love they pour into each jug of syrup. Tapping the trees starts in February so Mike and I couldn’t see that part of the production. 

 

Still, John wanted to take us for a ride through the woods in a side-by-side. (Kind of a dune buggy with a plastic curtain zipped around us.) 

 

The Abominable Snowman Look is in!

Before we headed out of the house, John and Jewel handed each of us insulated coveralls. We may have looked liked overstuffed abominable snowmen, but we stayed warm. Once bundled, the four of us took a ride through the woods. It was beautiful. 

 

There is an indescribable stillness in the woods when the snow is falling. A quiet covering of the whole world. Or so it seems in the moment. 

 

Snow in the Woods

John drove us along the trails, pointing out different trees and animal habitats. We rode by the “wetland” area and skirted a field recently harvested of its soybeans. 

 

Once we returned, John took us through his out buildings to see where and how the syrup is made. John and Mike discussed the operation and the machinery. Together they examined the tools in the workshop. Guy stuff.

 

My sweet cousins, John & Jewel

Finally, we trekked inside

and peeled off the layers of coats and coveralls. As the four of us sat down to a meal of delicious hot soup and warm rolls, I couldn’t help

 but think how perfect a day we had just experienced. 

 

The entire outing may have been a cold and snowy day of adventure but for me it will always be a warm memory of friends as family and family as friends. 

 

Ecclesiastes 3, verses 1-8 reminds us:

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."

And...just maybe...a time for snow.