Making Snowflakes

Yesterday I shared with you how I had successfully built Ashley a "Winter Wonderland" to hang above her bed. The thing I did not share with you is how long it took me to figure out how to make our snowflakes. You would think that this is a simple task, but each one I made came out looking like a square with triangles cut out of it. I was becoming frustrated as I searched my pile of papers for the perfect snowflake. Eventually I resigned myself to the fact that at 30 something years old I must have forgotten how to make them so I just hung up my "squares". Later in the afternoon the "squareness" of my snowflakes began to really bother me. So I decided to cut my paper into circles before notching out the triangle shapes. This resulted in a slight improvement, and I became somewhat satisfied that now I at least had two different types of snowflakes falling over Ash's bed. This morning as Ashley struggled to reach the snow falling overhead I decided to give her a piece of her own paper. Guess what? After a few minutes I looked over at her and saw a lovely snowflake created with absolutely no purpose in mind. Ashley's snowflake looked so much nicer than the ones I had spent so much time trying to design. It was crumply and uneven. It was torn and tattered. It was wet(from her chewing on the paper). It was PERFECT! I have proudly displayed her lovely creation in the center of our wonderland and when she looks up to see HER snowflake she now ooohs and aaahs at how wonderful it is. She is a snowflake "Picasso"! I am so proud of her.

As I recall this story I just shake my head at myself and realize that once again the Father has used my little Ashley to show me a truth and teach me a lesson. I continue to try and plan, shape, and control this journey that we are on with Ashley. Just as I struggled to make the perfect snowflake yesterday, I find myself struggling to accept the bumps in our road. What I need to do is just wake up every day with no expectation in mind except for the one that allows Him to do His will in my life and in the life of my Ashley. Ashley did not expect to create a lovely snowflake when I handed her the piece of paper. She just accepted what she was given and was thankful to have been given it. She enjoyed every inch of that sheet of paper until it seemed as though there was no joy left to be found from her crumply mess of paper, until Mommy picked it up and hung it above her head. Now she had a different perspective as she looked at her paper. She began to enjoy it all over again. The ooohs and aaaahs were priceless, as was her creation.

I am looking back over the last 11 weeks with a different perspective. I can see the blessings that have been hidden on the other side of each bump along the way. I can now oooh and aaah at what He has done in our lives through each day of this journey. Today I am not going to "expect" anything. I am just going to see what He hands me and I am going to embrace it for all that is in it. Then once I think I am finished with it, I hope to pick it up once more and find something else that maybe I had missed. Isn't it amazing what my little 2lb12oz "pickle" can teach me. My prayer for all of you today is that you too will find your own "winter wonderland" and be able to embrace it with all that you have. Enjoy your family and your kiddos. It really doesn't matter if any of what you expect turns out the way you have perfectly planned it. Just love every moment, every smile, every giggle, every soggy snowflake that He gives to you this holday season and stand back for just a moment so you can all oooh and aaah over them. I love you guys. Thanks for praying us along. God bless. Trish