Blizzard 2016

It’s noon on Saturday January 23, 2016 and we have 15 inches of snow outside…and another foot on the way. I’m in my glory right now! If only it had been one month earlier it would have been an epic Christmas instead of a Christmas Eve in the 60’s. So it got me thinking of some of the more memorable snow storms in my lifetime.

My Favorite Snow Storms

WV Blizzard of 1993

Probably the first one I remember the clearest. I remember working at Chicfila the night before it hit and taking the trash out. It was truly the calm before the storm. Mom, a nurse, had to be picked up to go to the hospital and spend the next few nights there. My brother Dave and I were home and had to dig out our massive driveway. Dave thought it would be a brilliant idea to walk, in 30 inches of snow, to the local grocery store (3 miles away) to buy some things. Needless to say it was a couple hours before I saw him again.

Philly Snow Storm of February 2003

I was living in Willow Grove this time. Living in a parsonage attached to the church meant I had the entire place to myself. It was a good time to catch up on movies but definitely felt totally isolated from the world! When I walked through the front door of the church, snow had blown through the crack of the door! I also remember that NBC 10 decided to do a live broadcast from the parking lot outside my house. I debated on running out and promoting the church in the background. They were back the next day because Upper Moreland High School, across the street, had an EPIC sledding hill.

Philly Snow Storm of January 2005

I will remember this one because I got the joy of driving in it. It started on a Saturday afternoon. I had the opportunity to go see the Kansas Jayhawks live for the first time. They were playing Villanova at the Wachovia Center. The storm started while we were in watching the game. The Jayhawks were upset and I got out of there. Driving up the Blue Route normally took me 30 minutes to get home. Because I had a Jetta, this time it took over an hour. Church was cancelled the next day and the Eagles were playing in the NFC Championship against the Atlanta Falcons. They won and went to the Super Bowl!

Philly Snow Storm of December 2005

Though the accumulation wasn’t the highest, this one hit when I was at the Linc watching the Eagles play the Seahawks. We had GREAT seats while the snow was coming down. Reggie White’s number was retired that night. The Eagles lost 42-0. We left at halftime

DSC05880Baltimore Snow Storms of 2011

Without a doubt, this will go down as one of my favorite winters (2014 being the BEST). One storm is great. Two is awesome. THREE is INCREDIBLE. Two of the three happening within a week of each other is heaven on earth! The first happened right before Christmas. I was with friend in NYC when it hit and got to drive home in it. Normally a 3 hour drive took six. The two storms within one week were both over a foot each. I have never had that much snow in my life at one time. I also remember playing lots of XBox Live- Modern Warfare 2 with my students since we were all snowed in.

Reasons to Love Snow Storms

  1. The Quiet: it slows everyone down and outside, a normally loud city is silent.
  2. The Beauty: The Bible says our sins will be washed white as snow. There is nothing better than a covering of white everywhere. Add some lights to it and it is magical!
  3. The ministry opportunities/community: I live in a townhome community. Often times, the neighborhood is out at the same time shoveling each other out. It is a great opportunity to connect with your neighbors and love them with actions.

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