Joyless or Joyful

The snowpocalypse is coming to the South. Southerners lose their last bit of moral compass when the news calls for snow. I’m talking no bread or milk can be found on the shelves of any store. I never understood that then, and I don’t understand it now. If I’m going to be snowed in, I prefer Little Debbie Star Crunch or Nutty Bars.

People here in the South cannot handle severe weather of any kind. My mama watches the weather like a hawk. She looks for the big red blobs for thunderstorms on the map. She also watches for blue blobs indicating snow. Help us all if she sees pink for ice. At that point, she starts preparing everyone and announces she will not be driving or going anywhere. Life or death.

This is not the same mama I grew up with. Snow, sleet, hail, hurricane, or tornado couldn’t keep her in the house back then. She had no problem putting me on a sled behind the turkey house. I would zoom down the hill on those wooden sleds with steel rails. If there was no sled, she used hubcaps or anything else that would glide across the snow. And I dare not forget the Sunbeam bread bags on my feet—Southern waterproof snow shoes.

We layered clothes like professionals. Summer shorts, old shirts, whatever was in the closet—we piled it on. The wood-burning stove would be glowing bright orange when we came in for the day. Cutting and stacking wood was a family affair for everyone on the hillside. And yet, I still don’t remember sitting around eating loaf bread and drinking milk.

I love snow, rain, and thunderstorms. Hurricanes—not so much. Helene was enough for me.

People in the South also do not believe in using blinkers (turn signals). Most can barely drive in sunshine. Add any type of precipitation and it turns into redneck Armageddon.

Earlier today, people were already asking if church will still be on tomorrow. It’s still 40 degrees outside. Now don’t get me wrong—I love church. But tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind if it snowed so I didn’t have to sing the special. Don’t tell our music director, Melissa. She’s probably going to read this, so… I love you, Melissa.

When it snows here, it becomes a race to see who can make the announcement first on social media. News flash—we see it. You will never understand the gravity of how any drop or rise in barometric pressure affects people in the South. Complete and utter chaos.

Snow is peaceful to me. I like to sit and watch it fall. We don’t get much of it, so when we do, I appreciate it. I enjoy it. It would be nice if everyone could just take a deep breath, inhale the cold, crisp air, and stick out their tongues to catch the snowflakes as they fall.

The Bible references snow in Isaiah 1:18:

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Snow appears several times in Scripture as a symbol of purity, cleansing, and forgiveness.

Snow is good.
Enjoy it.