Friday, March 6, 2015

Gather the Memories :: Reflections of a Snow Day


I'm joining the #FiveMinuteFriday community today. Kate Motaung gives a prompt and people write for five minutes. Just five minutes. 

This week :: GATHER 


Somehow we are still excited about the snow. Even after the last snow a few weeks ago hung around for 12 days and closed school for a week, we still were excited when we woke up Thursday morning to nearly a foot of snow.

A foot.

We live in Kentucky, where I'm happy to say winters are usually mild. Even with 95 degrees and all the humidity possible, I'm a summer girl at heart.

But I've loved these snow days. I almost feel bad about generally thinking I don't like snow. I may not love it. And I'm certainly not driving in it. Yet the snow has been beautiful and forced us to slow down.

We gathered. We gathered with each other. We gathered memories.

My girl has gotten some much-needed sleep after some trouble falling asleep in recent nights.

My kids explored outside. They laughed and jumped and went sledding with neighbors and played. Inside, there were LEGOs and Mario Kart.

The kids drank hot chocolate and we lunched on our new favorite pizza quesadillas.

I scrapbooked and watched more "Gilmore Girls." I tended to some lake house management business. I texted with some friends and talked to my mom.

My husband shoveled our driveway so we could be Nashville bound to watch our Murray State Racers later today. He worked some and played some.

God's been reminding me he's the artist, creating the snow-laden views and orchestrating the moments that make up life. He's encouraging me to choose joy as I gather these memories. {Tweet that.}
________________

After I wrote this post, my TimeHop app showed me a post from last year, on this exact day. It's the same sentiment. Rather than think about the redundancy, I'm choosing to see how God truly orchestrates time and cares for our souls. 

Other snow-day related posts :: How Snow Days Free UsMake Memories Now. Family Game Nights for the Win

I'm linking up with Kate Motaung and the #FMF crew. When I was laying on the couch last night scrolling through Twitter and saw the "Gather" prompt, I knew I had to write because it's one of my favorite words. 

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16 comments:

  1. Friend, you are so living out that word JOY of yours this year. It's a beautiful thing to witness. I just adore you!!! xoxo

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  2. So cool that you have snow! Our kids are so jealous of those snow pics! We don't have snow in FL nor will we. We used to have KS snow. They miss that. I don't really. I hate being cold, but the snow fun is fun! I am glad you're enjoying it and having fun inside and out! I love your pics too! :) FMF sister, Jenn

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  3. KristinHillTaylor3/06/2015 7:54 AM

    Thanks, Jenn! It's fun for the short time but I wouldn't want to live somewhere it was like this all winter!

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  4. KristinHillTaylor3/06/2015 7:55 AM

    God's really doing something in my heart. (You told me he would when I chose JOY this year!) Days like this used to stress me out because everything was a mess. Now these days are so fun. Love you, Beth!

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  5. Love your post....love the way you write about God as artist....thanks for your post {An FMF friend}

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  6. KristinHillTaylor3/06/2015 8:02 AM

    Thanks, Helen! I appreciate you stopping by!

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  7. We dodged our big snow and frozen temps by gathering ourselves into our car and going to sunny Florida; however, I remember the blizzard of 93 with almost 3 feet of snow - we were forced to stop and just live every moment. Truly, one of my favorite memories. Enjoy these gatherings Kristin! Over from FMF today.

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  8. KristinHillTaylor3/06/2015 10:42 AM

    I have a friend that took off to Florida before this storm because she knew school was going to be out for a few days! Thanks for your comment, Susan! Happy weekend!

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  9. Living in ND I've had my fair share of snow days but they really can be good for the soul. It is good to gather those memories isn't it? I just finished gathering my 2014 photos into a year in review ShutterFly book.

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  10. I can relate. After spending my childhood in the Midwest I am a total summer girl. Never mind that I live in Dallas now and summers can be HOT. I will take it. Oh how I want to hold each of the memories with my girls. Never letting go of the feel of their hands and the smell of their hair. They are promises from God in flesh.

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  11. KristinHillTaylor3/08/2015 2:44 PM

    Thanks for your sweet comment, Tiffany! Glad to see you here.

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  12. KristinHillTaylor3/08/2015 2:44 PM

    Snow paint ... that's a good idea! Thanks for your comment, Laura!

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  13. KristinHillTaylor3/08/2015 2:45 PM

    I like Dallas! "They are promises from God in flesh." ---> YES! I love that!

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  14. KristinHillTaylor3/08/2015 2:45 PM

    I just finished scrapbooking 2013 - it's so fun to physically gather those memories and then look back on what we did and where we were. I also love Shutterfly books - such a fun way to document life.

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  15. Choosing joy - such a powerful act. You see beauty in the snow. God sees beauty in you.

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  16. KristinHillTaylor3/09/2015 12:38 PM

    Thanks, Mindy, for your sweet comment. Glad to see you here. xoxo

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