Snowstorms can bring out the best

This morning I awoke to see a nice hearty dosage of fat snowflakes falling from the sky, covering the still-existing snow from the many snowstorms prior, and caking the roads in a miserable mess of whiteness. (Yes, the wondrous joy at the sight of fluffy precipitation was lost on me several blizzards ago.)

Thankfully, I made it to church without any problem, and upon arriving in the parking lot, I was impressed to see a number of cars there.

Unnecessary caption. We all know what snow looks like.

I got to the entrance way, stomping snow from my boots (not that it mattered, since melting snow was everywhere), and proceeded to the main church.



The gathering was a bit more sparse as I entered, and I didn't have as much trouble finding a pew as I usually do in this notably active parish.

I was even more cheered, however, as I saw more and more families come in, until the church was just as
filled up as usual. Had the countless crumbs of white misery stopped falling from the sky? No. But the church filled up all the same.

I was quite touched by the efforts of all of the families and individuals who made it to this 9 a.m. liturgy despite the road conditions and the bitter cold. They could have easily made the excuse that they were afraid to be on the roads.

Sometimes you need to put a person to a test like this to see what they're worth. I was proud of all of these parishioners who "passed the test" to prioritize what's important.