Snow!

It snowed last night - quite a good bit. It was very hard at times and began accumulating on the deck and in the yards. We had a nice dusting just ripe for snowman- and snowangel-making when the rain started. I stood in the kitchen, eyes clenched shut, head bowed, in front of the sink (as always) praying, oh-h-h-h so hard, praying that my children would make it home from church before all the snow was gone. I ran outside and rolled 3 large, hard snowballs from the white flakes on the deck and put them on the side of the gas grill, just in case all the snow was gone, at least they would each have 1 snowball.

Then I ran back inside, hands red from cold, ran them under hot water in the sink and prayed some more.

"Lord, help me not be resentful of Don. Let the children get home in time, please, Lord. This means SO MUCH to them."

There's a story in this, you see. But, of course there's a story. There's always a story.

When I picked Deanna up from school yesterday (Dane stayed after for basketball practice), I said something about taking something to "school tomorrow".

"There isn't school tomorrow, Mom," Deanna corrected me. I looked in the rearview mirror at her. I knew that classes had been canceled for Monday coming, but tomorrow? Didn't know anything about that.

"What do you mean? Has school been canceled?"

"Not yet. But it will be. It's going to snow. I prayed. We ALL prayed."

I started getting a little nervous. Deanna doesn't usually talk like this, but she has an unshakable faith and it does seem that the Lord answers her prayers.

Like last year in England. We had rented a car when we heard we had been extended for another three weeks. I had reached a low point and was very nearly depressed. When I heard we would have to get through another three weeks, I cried out to the Lord. I clearly heard him tell me to rent a car. The thought of getting out of the house and seeing more of England cheered me immediately. The children and I pored over maps of England and picked out several places within a day's drive that we wanted to see. We planned itineraries and gave them to Don for Mapquest driving directions.

On Monday, we picked up the rental car and headed for the Lake District. I knew so very little about England. The Lake District is mountainous. Had I known that, I wouldn't have chosen it for our first day - driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side of the car, shifting with my left hand, getting used to new traffic symbols, roundabouts, speed limit signs, Motorways . . . the list went on and on. But we blithely for the mountainous region of northern England.

It was amazingly beautiful and COLD. As we drove along, we could see snow at the top of the hills - it was only a few hundred yards away - straight up. I told the children that I would take them up if I could only find a public road to the top of one of the peaks, but, alas, there were none. The peaks were all private property and grazing land for sheep.

The children could hardly contain themselves. They were bursting to touch the snow. Daelyn didn't remember ever having seen snow before. But they had to look longingly from a distance.

The next day, we planned on hitting Scarborough and Whitby. The children prayed at dinner and again at bedtime very specifically. Their prayer went something like this: "Lord, we really want snow, but not on the tops of mountains where we can't get to it. And not on the roads where it'd be dangerous for Mom to drive (I interjected several exclamations of driving concerns) - just on the side of the road, and enough that we can make snowmen. We know you'll do this for us. Thank you."

Such expectant faith. Such faith, period. They were certain God would do this small thing for them. I was certain they would be disappointed. I tried to reason with them, to explain that we wouldn't be in the mountains and, even in the mountains, it was only on the peaks. Nothing worked. There was no reasoning with them. They trusted God would hear their prayers and respond.

The next morning, they prayed again as we hopped in the car and headed out. I breathed a prayer myself. "Lord, please shield them from disappointment."

They were not disappointed. Snow! Enough for snowmen and snowball fights and snowangels and none on the roads. Their very specific prayers had been answered to a word.

So, last night, I prayed. And they made it home. By the time they were here, it was pouring down rain but the snow was still playable - wet, but playable.

Deanna's quite certain anything they ask the Lord for will happen. And with good reason.

Lord, let her never be disappointed. At least, not by you.