I live in South Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico. While my home is a beautiful place, it is depressing in the winter. It gets cold, but never cold enough to snow. I dream of those picturesque Christmas movies where the world becomes a Winter Wonderland on the screen. That is not a reality in the South where you can only tell the season has changed by the color of the grass.
That all changed yesterday.
Sitting home, I watched by my window as snow fell. I got excited and snapped pictures of the first few flakes. Little did I know the snow would continue to fall. And fall. And fall!
After eight hours of snowfall, my home was covered in nine inches of snow! The highest recorded snowfall in my town’s history. This caused everything to shut down. Schools were closed. Shops closed their doors. Even adults were sent home early to help avoid accidents on the road.
The result was magical. Everyone in my neighborhood was out playing in the snowfall, kids and adults alike. I was sent pictures by friends sledding on beach floats and building snowmen wearing sunglasses. We were all in a state of giddy joy that made us all forget our jobs, the growing to do list in the house, and the inevitable after Christmas depression. Because there was snow.
As I write this, I’m watching the snow beginning to melt. The icicles are dripping off the edge of the house and the snowman is losing his height. When the snow disappears, I know I won’t see it again for a long time. Perhaps not for another lifetime. Yet, I can still treasure the memories of the day. That’s the joy that can be captured in stories. The memories of a time of joy that can bring comfort when things are grim. I’ll be sharing these stories with friends around a campfire soon and every winter after this.
The snow will melt, but it will remain forever.
Morgan Ashleigh 
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