Winter Wonderland

I lived in Alaska for 8 and a half years.  The first time was for 18 months when I was active duty Air Force and my first duty assignment was outside of Fairbanks, Alaska.  The second time was when I was married to my first husband and we just returned from our tour in Turkey during the first Gulf War.  We were stationed in Anchorage, Alaska and stayed there for two tours or seven years.  Our youngest son, Alex, was born there.  What I remember most about living up there during the winter months was all the beautiful snow and the cold. 

It’s been a while since I’ve lived there.  Since then I’ve lived in Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota.  In other words, snowy states.  Pennsylvania is no exception.  However, it’s been quite a number of years since we’ve seen the amount of snow that we’ve seen in the last two and a half days.  At our house we got at least 2 feet of snow.  I’m so lucky that I have two of my kids still living at home and they were able to help me keep the snow clear.  With Dan in the hospital for knee replacement surgery, I’d have been lost if it was just Destiny and I hear trying to shovel all this snow.  I’m counting my little blessings today, for sure. 

I will say, the blanket of white outside is so beautiful.  The air is crisp and clean and the quiet is so deep and much appreciated.  The pace is slower during storms because we can’t go anywhere.  We spend time together, enjoying conversations and hot chocolate.  It’s a nice break from the normal, every day grind of life.  I’m not saying that I want to do this every day, but it has been a nice little break for all of us. 

Taking time to slow down and appreciate the beauty around us is something that we take for granted far too often. So, today I’m glad that Mother Nature forced me to slow down and take a breath.