I live where it snows a lot. Well, it gets more snow than any other place I have ever lived so in my book it snows a lot.

We moved here in January, almost three years ago, and it was a big adjustment for our warm-weather family. We were shocked to see kids on school playgrounds in 25-degree weather. And to see presumably smart adults, dining outside at restaurants with only jackets, hats, patio heaters, and beer to keep them warm. It literally didn’t make sense to me (as I ran to the store in a light sweater, leggings, and ballet flats) how anyone could be outside in that weather.

I started substitute teaching soon after moving here and found myself on hours of playground duty in freezing temperatures. The other teachers had these long coats and they told me that the longer I lived here, the longer my coat would get. As the Norwegians say, “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothing.”

On one such dark and freezing morning, I headed out to teach high school math (not my strength) in the vehicle my husband has been driving for 20 years. We park it on the street because it leaks oil so it definitely did not spend the night in the cozy (40-degree) garage. I couldn’t see out the windows because of this…

If I remember correctly, I wasn’t stoked about leaving the house while it was still dark so I could be “new” at yet another school. I wasn’t thrilled about re-inventing my career so we could keep the house we just bought. I was feeling a bit resentful that my “stay-at-home” mom days were over and that my wonderfully brilliant, but recently disabled husband was unable to work. I was frustrated that we had to figure out a new life for our family again.

But the beauty of the ice on the window that morning was a bright spot. A little moment of wonder to break into my dread. I was mesmerized by its intricate design and stopped to take a photo for my family to see when they emerged from their warm beds.

We have been delighted by winter (for the most part) and all the newness of it. Just last week it started to snow on the way to school and our kids (almost 8, 12, and 14) were giddy. We have discovered things like “freezing fog” which is a stunning and dangerous thing where fog moves over the land and leaves a white deposit of feathery ice crystals on every surface it touches. It literally looks like Elsa came through town.

The majestic mountains greet us around every corner and we finally get to wear all the cute scarves and boots we had, but barely used in San Diego. And then there’s sledding, snowshoeing, snowboarding, ice skating, and skiing. You name it, and we are trying to collect all the gear for it. And the beauty…gosh it’s beautiful.

But it’s not all rosy. A lot of places we love here are closed for the season. We get stuck inside a lot. I have to put my rainbow sandals away for months. The winter is dark and cold and by March, it feels like it will never end. A friend of mine cried multiple times last week over the bleak onset of winter.

But like most things, if you go all in and search for the gold, you’ll come to see it as a treasure.

This week I did some research on snowflakes to create a lesson plan for the preschool class I teach. These kids know snow. They wear their boots and stuff their backpacks with snow pants and gloves for the playground. But I doubt they know the science behind it. I’m almost 50 and don’t remember ever learning how snowflakes form. I’m no scientist, but this is what the internet told me-

“Snowflakes form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes around a speck of dust, creating a tiny ice crystal. As the ice crystal moves through the clouds, water vapor freezes to it, creating a snowflake that eventually becomes heavy enough to fall to the earth.”

https://kidzeum.org/blog/the-science-of-snow#:~:text=Snowflakes%20form%20when%20an%20extremely,to%20fall%20to%20the%20earth.

So a beautiful snowflake is really just an ice crystal with dirt in it? Dust can be made up of dirt, pollen, bacteria, smoke, ash, salt, rock, or sand. Things that irritate or make us sick and dirty. Those are the things necessary to form snowflakes. The stuff of storybooks and paintings and the backdrop of every Christmas movie? Ice-wrapped bacteria.

Without the dust, the crystal would have nothing to attach to. Without the unpleasant part, the beautiful part can’t exist. Of course that’s the way it works. That is so like God to make a masterpiece out of dust.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1

As each snowflake falls, it follows a different path and experiences a different environment. This is why no two snowflakes are alike. Tiny variations in atmosphere, temperature, and pressure can influence the shape of a snowflake as it branches out. Its unique path is largely what makes it like no other.

Masterful. And hard to embrace in my own life. I needed the reminder that the path God has planned for me (dirt and all) is making me uniquely beautiful. Making me more like Him.