Winter Joie de Vivre

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand- and melting like a snowflake."

-Francis Bacon

There is always excitement surrounding the first snowfall of the year, but when the long- awaited snow comes in the final days of December after months of fifty degree temperatures, it is particularly breathtaking. While most school children were still home on winter break and their families were busy packing away holiday decorations or making plans for New Years, the sparkling flakes began to fall and winter finally arrived, with the first sprinkling of fresh powder.

Although our numbers were modest, with many children still home on holiday, the mood was positively jubilant. The children spent the morning cheerfully pursuing their studies as the snow began to accumulate in the yard. After lunch, came the moment they had been anxiously awaiting: the elated children donned their winter clothing and raced outside, where they were only too happy to break out their sled and commence with pulling each other around the yard. Then, there was the requisite amount of snow shoveling, snow eating, snow angel making, and snowflake catching (catching flakes on black paper and examining them with a magnifying glass), before the tuckered children headed inside for a little digestif of warm cider to warm themselves up before they were tucked into their little cots for their first snowy day nap.