Last week was the first snowfall here at St. Bonaventure, which signified a new growing period.Â
The first snowfall has always represented a fresh start. It has shown me that fall is over and the Christmas season has begun. I find it a little easier to breathe and easier to find peace amidst all the chaos, since a new sense of calm rushes over me.
The nostalgia of childhood Christmas all floods back to me as I watch the heavy snowflakes fall from the sky, and I can vividly picture my brother and me playing out in the snow, excited to build a snowman as nature transforms into a winter wonderland around me.
As the first snow falls, all I can think back to is my child-like wonder of the Christmas season, my excitement to decorate the Christmas tree, and filling the house with decorations of all colors.
It signals the beginning of watching Christmas movies for the rest of the season, all of which bring back peaceful memories of family, laughter, and love for the people around me.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am today, and I reflect on how much growth I have undergone in the past year. I marvel at how I even made it to this point in life and how life always seems to have a way of falling in place, just as the snowflakes find their way to the ground.Â
As the first snow falls, I am thrilled to drive around with my mom to admire the houses lit up in all different colors and dressed in all different decorations. The neighborhoods are no longer dark at night, but instead streaming with bright, sparkling lights from all directions.
I fondly recall Christmas Eve when I would lie on the couch all snuggled up, as the movie Prep and Landing echoed through my house after getting home from my Grandma’s house. All the Christmas nostalgia comes rushing back to me when I see the white flakes fall from the beautiful sky.
It will always be healing to me to see the first snowfall of the year because of all the healing memories, excitement, and peace it gives me to reflect on the past and romanticize the coming of Christmas day. It will truly always be a wonder to me how each year goes by quicker than the next, and how life constantly unfolds in a different way than I anticipated during the first snowfall a year ago.
As I watched the elegant snow float to the ground, I couldn’t resist watching it as my gaze met a certain snowflake until I lost it in the peace of the white background.Â
I can’t help but stare because I am so drawn to the beautiful first snowfall that fills my heart with memories of laughter, love, and joy—a new season of growth and tranquility.