“Mommy, I want snow for my birthday!”
Southwest Texas is not known for snowy winters or blizzards. Don’t give a six-year-old the facts. Give him a hug, remind him of the coastal weather patterns, but never trample on a child’s belief in snow.
Tucked in, eyes closed dreaming of his fluffy white birthday, I sighed wishing my faith matched what swelled in his youthful heart. I worried and plotted how to ease the disappointment.
On December 22, 1983, snow fell in Houston, Texas. A wish, a little faith, and the hope of a child.
“Mommy, look, I told you it would snow on my birthday!”
As you celebrate this season, may you also believe with the faith of a child that we can make a difference in a hurting world. Smile at one another. Embrace our shared humanity. Give thanks for the sun and stars. And don’t forget all the other living things who share this space with us.
With the help of Jane Goodall, I have four reasons to hold onto hope.
The hills are alive with music this Christmas. Before you watch The Sound of Music, again, you might want to read The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton share a little background of the book
If you need a holiday break from the frenetic hustle and bustle, I recommend A Bocelli Family Christmas with Andrea, Matteo, and Virginia Bocelli.
“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth's treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal... To hope is to give yourself to the future — and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.”
—Rebecca Solnit
Find a little wonder this week, and above all, “hold fast to dreams (Langston Hughes).”
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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Kathryn, I love your "Micro" essay! It's a perfect display of how much we can learn from our children, especially when they are very young. I like the Rebecca Solnit quotation. I'm adding that to my collection. It's hard to see light now when it is both dark figuratively and literally. Thank you for spreading your light.