Lace Snowflakes

lace snowflakes

Lace snowflakes. I am catching them to keep me warm. It is cold enough to snow here in Provence. Though it rarely does. When it does snow the entire area closes down, a novelty like snow makes the south stop in its tracks.

Snow reminds me….

of Christmas, though I am from California and can count the times on less than five fingers when it snowed on Christmas.

Snow reminds me of the first time I saw snowflakes. I was 19 years old and living in a monastery. After evening prayer, Father Tim pulled me aside and silently lead me outside (the monastery was full of that). He pointed upwards, at first I thought he was pointing towards heaven or something. Then I felt the soft snow falling on my face. Holy Night! I saw the snow glistening as it passed by the outdoor light. It wasn't just ordinary snow it was tiny, intricate, heavenly designed miracles… snowflakes. It was by far one of the most beautiful moments at the monastery for me, (Up until that moment I thought snowflakes were only make believe, things that children cut out of paper to make snow appear fairy-tale like.) standing after prayer, outside in the freezing, New Mexico cold, watching snowflakes floating down outside the kitchen back door. I can still see them in my mind's eye.

Heavenly host. Christmas time is coming.



Comments

27 responses to “Lace Snowflakes”

  1. Sweet post Corey, I hope you do get some snow! Oh how I wish it would snow here, to have a white Christmas would be a dream come true, although not likely when you live in the tropics…lol. Wishing you a lovely day, and happy 3rd blogaversary too!
    Amanda (aka Cottage Contessa)

  2. I LOVE snow Corey! I used to live some years in a little town in Quebec. It was snowing from end October and it was sooooooooooo beautiful!!!! sunny and white everywhere. I was living for a year in a mountain, my garden was the forest and I used to pick the mail wearing snow shoes…
    Snow is happy and so peaceful!
    If not, I’m from Venezuela, so…no snow there…:)
    I HOPE, PRY to have some snow here!!!!!

  3. Funny how snow has the power to take us back to our childhood… a sort of a time lift…
    http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=63481rXY2Wc

  4. Pray I meant….

  5. Live snowflakes, (yes, I believe you can call a snowflake live), surrounds my life entirely right now.
    I am having a day off from work, and have just spent an hour out in the snowcovered garden, photographing. It is too dark before work or after I come home during the winter months. Right now the light was perfect though, and I got carried away. I guess I can rename my blog – The House in the Snow the coming days 🙂

  6. http://www.mixwit.com/caronpj/new-mix-4
    My songs for you today.
    I love you
    Snowflakes are such fragile things but look what happens when they join together
    I love you
    Jeanne

  7. Snow is my favorite! I grew up in the midwest, so we played in the snow all winter long!
    Now in Florida, I have snow envy!

  8. Massilianana – vintage paper bundle

    Corey , it would be lovely to have a white Christmas in Provence , wouldn’t it ? Well , as long as it lasts a day or so , you know , just to decorate the city , so to speak ! 😉

  9. Lovley lace snowflakes. Snow on Christmas is the one and only time I want snow 🙂 I live in NY- so we get MORE than our fair share!

  10. I wish I could package them up and send them your way! Although they get a bad rap here because of the travel problems associated, there is something truly magical about standing outside in a gentle snowfall while you watch everything becoming clean white.

  11. What a perfectly beautiful post. I could visualize your first experience with snowflakes as if I were standing right beside you and Father Tim.

  12. Corey,
    Love the snowflakes – I’d much rather look at these than be in the cold with real ones!! Snowglobes are a favorite with me too. Many of those in France?
    MimiG

  13. good to remember as I sit watching another 3″ pile on top of the other 3″ and more 3″ to come. but I have been thinking of all the different kinds of snow we get and how fascinating it is. as usual you have a way of “re-grouping” my day.

  14. I grew up with snowy winters and miss them, especially at Christmastime. Snowflakes are one of my favourite things about winter and I always hope for one good snowy day each year.

  15. What a magical snow memory! Thanks for sharing it.

  16. Hi Corey,
    My family and I stopped by your mom’s store last week on our way home from Thanksgiving vacation (we travel I-5 a lot!). We almost missed it since we were looking for a second hand store not an ANTIQUE store. Wow, everything was really beautiful and already decorated for Christmas! She was just as warm and gracious as I knew she would be! It was great to meet her and Holly.
    I’m sure your mother was wondering why on earth would total strangers come by and want to visit like old friends, but while we might be strangers she certainly isn’t one to me. I found your blog about one year ago during a time when I was unusually discouraged and following your blog has helped more than you could know!
    Thanks and wishing you another 3 years!

  17. Heavenly host. . . that’s how I see the snowflakes too Corey. Beautiful post.

  18. Hello Kathleen,
    Oh you are the lovely lady who brought my Mother chocolates! My mom told me, “A lovely lady who reads your blog came by the shop today. She brought me chocolates… and the first thing I said to her was,”Oh brother!””
    Katheleen you made my mother’s day, and to hear her say “Oh brother” made me laugh, she always says that.
    Thanks for the note, and for stopping to hi to my mom.
    By the way she sent me a photo of you and your family!
    xx

  19. Well, Corey, it is snowing here. BRRRRR! The high tomorrow in Denver will be 7 degrees so it will be a bit colder here. Taking the two dogs out now takes twice as long because I have to put boots on then. Ever try putting boots on a rottie and a 10 lb. feisty terrier? LOL.

  20. Margie Wouters

    What beautiful lace snowflakes, such a wonderful idea and so pretty. greetings from Ireland. My first visit to your blog. Going to explore it some more. Margie.

  21. Corey,
    Some of the biggest snowflakes I’ve ever seen was when we lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and even though we are in Texas now and rarely if ever see snowflakes, I still miss the feel of them as they touched my cheeks and face while I was shoveling snow(which was most of the winter). Lovely crochet snowflakes!!
    Kris

  22. Hi Corey! I am a California girl. Born and raised in So. Cal. My husband is from North Idaho and 4 years ago we moved back up to his stomping grounds. I was so nervous to live in such a cold region. I remember the first snow just like you remember yours. I just stood outside and enjoyed the beauty and the silence. The silence is still the most amazing part to me. When you live in rain your whole life you don’t realize how noisy rain is until you see the snow falling and hear nothing! I love it! Thanks for sharing. Snowy Blessings, Kimberly

  23. Snowflakes are magical in December but by January, I could happily live without them. 🙂
    xo,
    Lynda

  24. Hi Corey,
    You’re right! and the Father Tim too! Snowflakes are one of the most miraculous creations! Some days I would walk before anyone else on the fresh snow. The peace, the silence, the gentle beauty! It was astonishing.
    Great post!
    xox
    Constance

  25. Growing up in California’s Bay Area I almost never saw snow falling from the sky. I, too, believed that snowflake lore was just that — myth. Until I saw one float down and land on my coat sleeve — pure magic!!! Each different? Yes!! I love to find a fairytale come true. (Like true love and happily ever after — found that one to be true too!)
    I now live in the Sierras near Tahoe so we see snow several times a year and I never tire of the magical flakes and the utterly peaceful blanket they cloak my world with. I sit in the quiet and fight the tears — truly a winter wonderland. Beautiful post! (Wish it would snow . . . and so do my kids, but we have clear skies again.)

  26. Oh, how I too love snow. And like Provence (in just this instance it seems), it is cold enough to snow but rarely does. And as a Texan I can count the Texas snow on one hand too. Since I haven’t had to contend with scary snow (up north US where prolong time out of doors can cost your life in such cold, i.e. blizzards)I too find snow to me the most magical of precipitation. Holy night indeed.

  27. Lace snowflakes – how beautifully poetic.

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