Over The River And Through The Woods...

I rarely (if ever) travel for the holidays. I avoid crowds and traffic whenever possible. But this Christmas was different; perhaps the last Christmas of its kind, so we went.

The drive was horrendous, taking two hours longer than the normal four to get there. Snow covered the highway with a layer of slush causing the car to fish-tail through the first few hours and requiring me to drive at speeds so slow, I feared someone would slam into the back of me if they weren't paying attention. I stopped several times to call everyone I knew and ask for advice on what to do. I would be absolutely devastated if I couldn't make the drive but didn't want to risk my safety. Everyone repeated the same type of advice: "We hope you can make it, but it's not worth the risk."

Then my sister responded with: "Sounds like you need more weight in the back of your car."

So practical. She's the kind of sister who always knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time.

I remembered seeing a sign for Menards at the previous exit, so I turned around and bought 150 lbs. worth of kitty litter, Ice Melt and bird seed, then rearranged everything in my car to get these heavy bags in the back. I can't say that it really helped that much, but I felt much more confident and continued on with my slow journey until, mercifully, the snow stopped falling and the roads dried up.

The last couple of hours were smooth sailing and I drove westward into the sunset. Crystal clear blue skies lifted my spirits and I marveled at the fresh blanket of white snow covering everything. As the sun dipped lower, the horizon became a rainbow of color that backlit the snow-covered trees, turning their branches pink.

Eventually the glowing orange orb of the sun disappeared and the rainbow horizon intensified in color as the blue sky above turned a dark indigo blue. Then, right in front of me, a bright star appeared.

...

We arrived safely and had a magical and memorable Christmas. Definitely one-of-a-kind. I've never been more grateful and thankful and I hope I can hang onto these beautiful feelings for the year to come... that is afterall what Christmas is all about.