Family Letter by Debra

Dear ladies,

     A snowflake – a single ice crystal that reaches an adequate size, unites with other crystals, then falls to the ground as snow. Snow appears white in color despite being made of ice crystals. How? In the Bible the pure white color of snow is often used to symbolizes the cleaning of a sinful heart that has trusted the Lord.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7  

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18.

     Snowflake upon snowflake fell during the third week of February. This winter storm gave us 8 inches of pure white snow on top of the ice we already had on the ground. The cold north wind blew so hard with its below freezing temperatures. Services had to be cancelled, water pipes froze and some pipes broke, and the power was out in some areas of the city. To keep up with the power load, Springfield had rolling black-outs in parts of the city, starting in the south side then moving toward the north.  I did not experience any rolling black-outs, but my pipes did freeze and were frozen for 5 days.  I carried water from the church until the temperatures increased enough to thaw the lines.  I am surprised you did not hear me yell.  “Hurray”! when they thawed.

     As snowflakes take on different shapes as they pass through the differing temperatures and humidity zones in the atmosphere so do our children as they pass through the different stages of life and their walk with the Lord. Gina has released her third book “Forgiven Again” and is now working on her fourth book.  She has been seeing a doctor or should I say doctors about her eyes. They believe they know the problem, but no cure. Daniel, Gina’s husband got a new job and is enjoying it, Donna is working hard and many hours to move forward into the next position at her job. She took on the task of remodeling her home and she is nearly finished – it looks great. James loves being a dad. Emelia is now 4-month-old. He is also working on his second class for his master’s degree and was recently promoted to senior programmer/analyst at his place of employment. Caity is a wonderful mother who stays very busy taking care of her family and household.  David, despite all the sickness and quarantines last semester, made it on the dean’s list and is well on his way to doing it again this semester.  He has been able to visit with me a few times, but for the most part the college is on lock down. Looking forward to his visit during spring break. Also, his fiancé, Morgan is working very hard at her studies. She has her learner’s permit and has been practicing her driving.

     Grandchildren are also like snowflakes – each one differs in detail from one another, yet they have family similarities.  Lydia is my giving/caring granddaughter. She is a servant of the Lord. Lilibeth is my bright and sensitive granddaughter. She recently competed in a spelling bee. She didn’t win, but said she had a great time.  Eliana is my creative (dancing) granddaughter. Her first performance was a baby mouse in the Nut Cracker and now a pumpkin in Cinderella.  My only grandson is a hugger and a reader. He has made such great progress in his reading and speaking this year. My youngest is Emelia at four months old, she is most diffidently the most adorable. I call her my little one.

      Snow appears white in color despite being made of clear ice. This is due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small crystal facets of the snowflakes. My life is like the snowflake with its many facets. I pray that it also reflects the light- the light of Jesus Christ.

Love and Prayers,

Debra