“Have you ever noticed that it is often the small comforts, the simple pleasures, that soothe us the most and make us feel that all is right in the world?  Maybe it’s a favorite food that transports us to a childhood memory, or an unexpected kindness that makes our day, or seeing the first snowfall of the season.  In the moment that we experience the simplest pleasures….” – Jean Webster

This quote from Jean Webster caught my attention, because it so perfectly describes a moment in my life last week.  My husband and I were driving into Oakhurst to pick out new tile for our bathroom.  My mind was whirling with design options and the color choices I was going to have to make very soon.

As I gazed out the car window, I saw piles of snow in the shaded areas, and blades of grass poking through the snow in areas reached by the sun.  I was instantly transported back to my grandparents house and farm in Lawton, Kansas.

My mind skipped over the grueling 2 1/2 day non-stop drive to their house, and the bickering with my brother and sister in the backseat of the car. Instead it settled on the sound of the snow crunching under my feet as I walked down a gravel road; the chill in the air that was so different from what I was used to as a California girl; and the scents… such different scents in the country.

For a few minutes I was lost in the memories…memories of some wonderful experiences as a child, memories of a grandmother whom I adored, and a grandfather who loved to make me laugh.  …. all because of the snow on the ground in Oakhurst.

That’s me.. on the right.