Let It Snow

The last few weeks have been pretty heavy. We sent off Elder Ray, which just now is beginning to sink in. School has been brutal. Professors have been trying to shove a months' worth of work into two weeks to make up for the three days that we get off this week. I read a fabulous book that was really difficult to swallow about the Holocaust.

Altogether, I feel spent.

So, despite the groans of those who were with me last night, I couldn't help but smile in relief as the snow began to fall. I was at a Stake Relief Society dinner in Mapleton, right on the mountain, and we found ourselves in a sudden blizzard. The peace of the gentle snowfall seemed to fill me, washing away the stress and frustration of the last few weeks. I let the others run to the car, walking slowly behind them. Despite my usual frustration at snow that comes before Thanksgiving, this year I am ready. I have my wool coat in one hand and my winter gloves in the other, and I am standing with my arms open to the sky, ready for more of the gentle peace that comes in a snowstorm that silently blankets in the world.