I drove home slowly and the snow drove hard against my windshield giving that sense of standing still. I was transported back to my early childhood....
I was very tiny, probably less than 4 years old, and we had been to the Christmas Eve services at the church.
There is something very special about Christmas Eve services. They are so magical and mysterious. We had sung the carols, told the story. The notes of Silent Night followed us out of the warmth of the sanctuary into the cold winter night and into the waiting car.
Daddy drove slowly and carefully in the winter storm that had arrived while we were inside, and the car was filled with silence and warmth. The snowflakes came hard, large, and heavy on the windshield, but I was mesmerized by the effect of standing still. I could have stayed in that moment forever.
This morning the blue sky is dotted with the remnants of the clouds that turned our world white. This is our first Christmas in our new home and it is filled with warmth that has nothing to do with the central heating system.
Every year I await the moment when I am once again transported back to that experience of safety and peace--wholeness and anticipation. Then I know that Christmas has arrived again. Last night was that moment. I can physically feel that same feeling, and Christmas has begun.....
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