But I want to stay in bed…

The past few days have been tough for me emotionally. This morning when my alarm went off I didn’t want to get out of bed. At all.

But I can be a sneaky person. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t feel like doing much today, so last night I called up my sister-in-law and told her I would come up for a visit in the morning. I was stuck. Even though I felt like staying home all day and doing nothing, I dragged myself out the door and onto my bike.

As I headed out of town and started climbing hills I met a wicked crosswind that blew soft new snow everywhere. Guess what that means?

Snow dunes!

This bike ride was starting to seem like a brilliant plan. There is nothing I love better than wildly destroying snow drifts that dare to place themselves within my reach. Mile after mile I grinned as I saw new stretches of pristine dunes begging for me to plow through them.

After decimating all the innocent mounds of snow that I could possibly find, I arrived at my sister-in-law’s home. Entering her house is one of the best things ever, because my two nieces and two nephews always greet me with heartwarming excitement. We had a lot of fun together and I even was able to take them outside which was wonderful. I love playing in the snow with little ones!

Mid-afternoon, after eating a few chocolate cookies (my sister-in-law’s cookies are the best ever) I had to leave and they waved out the window as I started biking down the road. It was snowing very hard, but the wind had died down. Massive flakes floated silently to the ground. Snow is always beautiful, but these extra-fluffy, extra-big snowflakes made my ride home something special.

I did end up crying during the ride, however. Yesterday, my older sister left the country and she won’t be back for three years. I am very excited and happy for her, but man, it really hit me today how much I am going to miss her! Being able to spend time with her for the past six months has been so wonderful, it is hard to say goodbye.

But I can’t stay too morose when I out on a bike ride. When I see the beautiful world all around me, I remember that God, who created it all, is with me. His love will help me through any sadness and hardship, no matter how big or small.

By the time I reached home, darkness had fallen. A sense of joy swept over me, the day had been full of precious moments and big smiles. I am glad I decided to get out of bed.