Thérèse, like many Southerners, loved snow. The entrancing whiteness fills them with such joy, they call up their Northern friends at all hours of the night just to say, "Hey, it's snowing!! Man, it's really coming down!!" And then, when pointing to the less than an inch of accumulation, they cancel everything for a day or so until it melts.
As a Yankee who has resided in the South for the last few years (Yankees cannot become Southerners, sorry), it takes a LOT of snow to impress me. Often, it does not prompt a positive emotional response. Last week, a nor'easter (think hurricane force winds and snow) hit the East Coast and dumped a precipitous amount of snow in a very short time. The Weather Channel named it "Nemo."
The Northeast ground to a stop. No school. No travel. In some cases, no electricity.Moments like this offer us opportunities for introspection, to still the noise in our lives and to lose ourselves in the wonder of the world God created. In the face of early childhood loss, St. Thérèse chose to remain child-like, delighting in the little gifts God sent her way.
It's about mid-February, and the tulip trees are already in bloom around campus. We had a few flurries on Saturday, but we can hope. In lieu of snow and on a dreary day, I offer you a moonrise from those cool people at NASA. Take some time out of your busy day and watch. It's one of those good-for-your-soul moments: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130130.html.
