White Christmas

Carpe Diem #634, 

White Christmas

My childhood along the blackland fields of Texas did not include snow at Christmas.  There were a few times snow did fall, even accumulated a couple of inches deep.  The snow would usually melt within hours or a day or so.  As an adult my husband and I chose to move to his home town.  The more northern latitude introduced me to real snows.  Snows of gentle dustings to true storms with three foot drifts.  One such three foot drift against our garage door delayed our departure to work for a day while we dug out our drive.

The favorite snows would be the ones at Christmas.   But there was one such Christmas that found our son trapped in a ditch in Oklahoma City.  He was travelling home from Christmas.  A sudden snowstorm had stalled the traffic for hours.  Oklahoma City had almost no snow plows, little pavement treatment and a foot of snow on Christmas Eve.  Once he was able to travel toward a friends home, a wrong turn in the unfamiliar town left him in the ditch.  Our son stayed in contact with us by cell phone.  At 2 AM he reported he had arrived at his friends home.  He said a person had helped him out of the ditch.

It was almost noon the next day, Christmas day, when he arrived at our home.  He lied the night before when he reported he was safe in a house.  He was still in the ditch.  He had warm clothing, blankets and a full tank of gas.  He survived the night and the early morning icy drive into Missouri where we lived.  "Mom, the roads were almost instantly clear at the Missouri border.  Shame they did not loan that equipment to Oklahoma!"  

Of course it helped that Missouri had only received 2 inches of snow so it was easier to keep the roadways clear.  

We are now living in Central Texas.  It was in the high 60's on Christmas Eve night.  Our son and his girlfriend had no trouble driving the 5 miles to join us for dinner and gift exchanges.  There was no need for blankets nor snow shovels.  No desperate prayers in the middle of the night for one's manchild's safety.  It was a beautiful evening spent with family and only a slight wish for a gentle snowfall.

giant white flakes

drifting slowly to the earth
all is transformed
©  Janice Adcock

Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for daily prompts on 

CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI