On the twelfth day of Christmas, Sunday, January 5, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, we received what had been predicted for a while, for most of the country. The snow storm blew in from the Pacific, and finally reached us. The snow started falling just as we were leaving the 9:30 Sunday Mass, and continued through Monday till late evening. At that point we measured 12.5” on the patio wall. It is beautiful! It is cold! We were told it was the biggest snow since 1976. And with the temperature staying below freezing for a week or two, this gorgeous snow and beautiful scenery is not going anywhere for a while. Many people are not going anywhere either until the roads can be cleared of ice and snow. Many homes were without heat/electricity all across Kentucky because of the ice build-up on power lines and broken tree limbs. Here we did not get that much ice accumulation. School children got an extended Christmas vacation, of course, so they can enjoy the snow outside.
This whole experience reminded me of a beautiful 1872 Christmas hymn by Christina G. Rossetti.
In the Bleak Midwinter
In the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter long ago.
Our God transcends all heaven, earth, and its domain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when Christ comes to reign;
In the bleak mid-winter a stable place sufficed, the
sovereign God almighty, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the midnight air;
But his mother only in her maiden bliss,
worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What can I offer, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise one, I would do my part; but
what I can I offer: all my heart.
