Growing up in the south we never got much snow, but I always enjoyed a dusting because it resulted in school closings. Now I am a nurse and do not have the option of a snow day; so snow is not always exciting, especially when I have to work.
It seems that there is always snow in the month of January. Without exaggeration it has snowed on at least a third of my birthdays (a lot for growing up in North Carolina). So it was no surprise that there would be snow this year especially since I had plans to go skiing for my birthday.
I should have known there would be a snow storm which would dump almost two feet on Beech Mountain this past weekend. It made for quite an adventure trying to drive up the mountain especially with a few whiteout moments where I could see nothing in front of me. Thankfully I had chains for my tires, and my little old Camry made it up the mountain.
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| Me, Caroline, and Edie on the slopes |
It was a new experience skiing through so much fresh powder on the slopes. It was in fact freezing with single digit temperatures and wind chills in the negative teens which made for quite a chilly adventure. We bundled up enduring the cold and had fun on the slopes.
On Sunday we drove to the top of Beech Mountain where we hiked to the Gazebo at the peak. It was quite difficult walking through two feet of snow, and we often lost our balance as our feet sunk into a snow drift. It was worth the hike to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view of the snow covered winter wonderland with the distant mountains as a backdrop.
It is funny how often our perspective or situation changes our outlook. If I had to drive to work in that much snow, I would have been unhappy. Instead I had the time to enjoy the beauty of the snow and play in the winter wonderland. The snow was delightful and created an exciting adventure.
We have a choice of how we view and allow the storms of life to affect us. We can either see the storms as gloomy and become unhappy, or we can find the beauty even in difficulty. I am realizing that so much of our response depends on where we place our hope.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
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| Winter Wonderland at the top of Beech Mtn |
