What I learned from a blizzard

The kinderlach decided to make a cake. (Kiderlach here referring to the dorm girls.) I said sure why not. Big mistake.

I came into the kitchen to find them using the milchig hand mixer with a fleishig bowl. So I told them they couldn't put the cake in the fleishig oven. We improvised and made two tiny little pans out of foil and baked them in the tiny toaster oven. Now we have two tiny cakes.

I figured it would be nice, they were all bonding, even though I know none of them really know how to bake. But they were bored. It's a snow day today.

I hear the 'big snow storm' missed New York and came to us instead. It started snowing last night, I don't know what time. I went to sleep late and woke up late and looked out my window to find the whole world covered in powdery white stuff. It is funny how something so little and insignificant can have the power to cancel school, to immobilize people.

I decided to drive over to school to prepare dinner (school is right next door.) I got only a few feet down the driveway when my car got stuck. So I left it there and walked. I trudged through literally two feet of snow. It came up to my knees. The side door at school was completely blocked off. Needless to say, the building is empty. My boots and leggings got caked in snow and I fell once. I can't remember why I used to like snow as a kid.

The professor taught me to find a lesson in everything. I was wondering, what can I learn from snow? Then it occurred to me. Snow is so pretty and shiny and beautiful. One snowflake is tiny and harmless. But when millions and billions of snowflakes pile up outside your door, or cover your entire driveway, then it is impossible to get out.

Each person on their own may be little or insignificant. One person may be the world, but there is not much you can do on your own. Maybe if everyone banded together towards one cause, one goal, anything is possible.

If people stopped judging other people by clothing and outer appearance, by where they go to shul, who they associate with, what they watch or listen to, and focus on the inside, on what really matters, on an individual's heart and soul, maybe moshiach would be here now. Who knows what it's gonna take.

Enjoy the beautiful snow, or lack of, and when you look around you see beyond the external. See the essence.