On Tuesday, February 3, 1998, a gentle snow started to fall on the bluegrass hills of central Kentucky. By the next morning, over 2 feet of snow smothered the ground, leading Asbury College to cancel classes for the next 3 days, for what I believe was the first time ever. I spent those 3 days with a girl who wasn’t sure how she felt about me, or at least that’s what she’d always told me. But that snowstorm changed everything.
Holly had received an old 35mm camera for Christmas, but wasn’t sure how to use it. I volunteered to sacrifice my time to pass on my “extensive” knowledge to her. So we went on a photowalk around Wilmore, taking photos of what really was an incredible snow event. The snow had fallen gently, with no wind, so there were many beautiful snow formations.
We shot a couple of rolls of film (remember film?) and then played in the snow awhile. We sledded, had a snowball fight, and my roommate had some skis, so we even skied downhill for about 40 feet. It was truly one of my favorite days of my college career, spent with the girl I loved, who, for some reason couldn’t find anything better to do.
At the end of the day, Asbury opened up the apartments for visitation, so we decided to make some homemade chili using Holly’s family recipe. We walked to Fitch’s IGA to purchase the necessary ingredients. When we got to the register to checkout, we pooled our resources and, I am not making this up, between us, we had exact change. And that was all we had. $11.83. It was on that day that Holly and I truly fell in love. The snow miraculously warmed her heart toward me.
And the rest, as they say, is history. The rest is also future, for 5 children and the generations to come from them.
So today, Tuesday, February 1, thirteen years later, we had a snow day here in Texas. Holly and I made homemade chili, using the same recipe, but a much larger batch, and we shared with our 5 precious children why they should be grateful for snow days and homemade chili. It is a testament to God’s goodness and faithfulness.
