The first time it snows each winter is truly magical, no matter your age, no matter where you live. Looking out my window to see the first flakes falling always brings a huge smile to my face.

I feel whole inside. No matter what’s going on around me in the outside world, there’s a sense of peace, and time seems to stand still.

To me, it's like magic, as if God is telling me to stop worrying about everything, and just be present.

For northerner’s it’s just a normal part of the winter season, but for us in the south, sometimes, it’s like a living miracle. This fantasy world only comes around a few times a year, if we’re lucky. Some years it’s so warm we never get a single flake.

I can’t help but be struck with awe when I look up into the pure white sky and embrace the simple, yet elegant beauty of snow.

No matter how old I get, when I take that first step onto the crisp, crunchy snow I always thank God for letting North Carolina experience snow again.

Today, there’s nothing I love more than seeing the snow emoji on the weather app. and looking outside to see that it's true. This year’s first snow has me reminiscing about what life was like before smartphone applications overpowered our world.

Growing up when there was snow in the forecast, you could find my siblings and I glued to the evening weather channel. We would anxiously watch, hoping and praying for our school’s name to appear as it scrolled through the alphabet on the bottom part of the screen. When it came time for bed, if we had yet to see snowfall, we would then complete every superstition in the book.

Spoons under our pillows, pajamas on backward, ice cubes down the toilet –– you name it, we were doing it.

Waking up to an enchanting winter wonderland the next day seriously felt like Christmas as a kid, even if it was the middle of February. Having school canceled meant hot chocolate, snow forts and sledding with the siblings and neighborhood kids.

Looking back on these fun snow day traditions has me feeling nostalgic and thankful for all the fun snow has brought me. Even amidst my college finals, when it’s easy to be stressed and anxious, I’m not. Instead, I’m surprisingly calm and refreshed, all thanks to the weather.

I no longer live with all of my siblings, nor do I ever sleep with backward pajamas, but it’s the little things, like that first snow, that reminds me to slow down and not take life so seriously.

I might not have all day to go sledding because I have three papers, a presentation, and four finals to study for, but I still have enough time to slow down and enjoy the snowfall, even if only for an hour.

Thank you snow for reminding me to not let stress define my life, but ultimately thank you to the Creator above, for the gift of snow. And lastly to William, Caroline, and Natalie –– We might not always be together building igloos in the backyard, but when I see the first snowfall, I’ll always stop, smile and think of you three.