I’ve seen snow just a few times over the years and I’ll always remember the moment I saw a real snowflake for the first time. I was in Quebec City for the Carnaval de Quebec (Quebec Winter Carnival) media tour and the entire experience was something I’ll never forget.
We spent our time enjoying the Carnival, meeting Bonnehomme , ziplining over the crowd of thousands, sliding down an ice slide, and even experiencing what snow rafting was all about. We sampled tastes of Caribou, which I could feel warming my veins as soon as I swallowed the first sip. It was such a fun event. But the moment that brought tears to my eyes was one afternoon walking the streets of Old Quebec City when the snow began to fall. I was wearing a burgundy coat and the largest, most beautiful snowflake landed on my sleeve. It was the the first time I had ever truly seen a snowflake, and I was 35 years old!
I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could see every detail of the white snowflake against the dark fabric of my coat. And it was just like all the ones I used to cut out of paper when I was a child. As I stopped in my tracks to admire this beautiful creation, I felt the tears slowly trail down my face. Just a few tears, but they were caused by happiness and wonder.
It rarely snows where I live and when it does, we may get an inch that melts as soon as it hits the ground. When I was a child and snow would fall, I’d hurry to make ‘mud’ angels before the white stuff turned to water.
If you happen to live in a place where it snows all the time, you may only see the mushy mess of what’s to come as it all melts. But take a few moments at the beginning of this season, step outside when it’s snowing, and catch a snowflake on your sleeve and really look at it. At that moment, you’re witnessing magic.
