On the morning we were to go and get our Christmas tree, I was trying to put on my best Christmas smiley face.  But I was not feeling it inside.  However, the girls were excited, so I  moved forward on their behalf.   I made the chili, the hot cocoa, packed the snacks, and extra socks, scarves and blankets.

On the drive up, the girls were chit chatting, and as usual, Jessie was requesting that we sing Christmas songs.  Usually this is one of my favorite things to do. 

Lord, I really need to hear from you.  Will you send me a kiss?  Something just for me?

“Hark the Herald”, was my request.  Jessie started us out.  We all joined in.  Madeline sang harmony.

When we arrived, Sean made a big fire for us all to keep warm by, and then we set out on the short trek to find a tree.  My little nieces and daughters were all ahead of me.  I was bringing up the tail. 

“where did everyone go?”  I felt too far behind the pack, and was feeling left behind.  I could hear Sean calling to me, “We’re over here babe!”

I made my way through branches heavily laden with snow. One of the kids was right in front of me.  Yeah!  I was catching up!  When all of a sudden a branch came toward me like a swinging door.  Before I knew it I felt the stinging of the needles and snow hitting me right in the face.  The next step I took, I sunk thigh-high in the snow pack.  I just wanted to cry.

I climbed out of the hole, and pressed on. 

Lord, I need you to touch me.   A special gift from you, to me.

I opened the branches.  Peering around the corner, my nieces and daughters were all huddled together.  My littlest niece was sitting on the sled, crying, “myyy….feeet, are…are…cold,  Aunt Storie.”

“Ahh, baby, we will fix it.”  Before I knew it, my maddie was yarding off her boots and saying, “I have an extra pair of socks.”  and then Jessie, “I do to, mama.”

I took off LJ’s boots and socks, and then began to breathe warm air onto her foot.  Maddy grabbed the other one.  Before we knew it, she was laughing.

“Mom!!  MOM!!!  Look!! There are stars everywhere!!  In the trees, in your hair! on our clothes…”

What????  I thought.  Jessie began pointing out the hundreds, if not thousands of cookie- cutter,  perfectly shaped star of david snowflakes.  They were all identical in shape and had 6 perfect points.

“Jesus is kissing us!”  I said to the girls.

I will never forget their little faces looking up at the sky, all bundled up, bright red cheeks, screaming gleefully, “Thank you Jesus!!”

He kissed us all that day, in the midst of us serving one another…..had we not stopped to warm the feet of one, we may have missed His gift all together.

The picture on this post, I happened to find on the internet by typing in a google image search of star of david snowflake!  I have not yet figured out how to upload pictures from my files…I did get a couple of photos…one in hair, and the other on a mitten.  They were so tiny!  When I figure out how to upload, I will post them for you to see!