When we were 4 and 5, our mom had cancer.
She told us this story about how a song came on the radio when she was at her worst, and it gave her hope and purpose. Eventually, it led to the Snowflake Project, which she started with us in 2019. We’ve done it every year since then. Below is her story of the day the song played.
from our mom
The Beginning – December 2019
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2017 and had a grueling battle with the disease in the 10 months that followed. It was taxing on my body and mind in more ways than one. (I’m human). I truly believe that we can sculpt goodness from our shadows. Still, in the thick of my personal storm, I found myself emotionally run down and weary. I was falling — breaking, and in a world that seemed like I had little control, I’d been reminded to, “let go of what you can’t control and focus on what you can.”
I was emotionally raw – sad and terribly afraid. I put my hands together and prayed real hard for God to help me, to guide me, to be there with me, and to show me a flicker of hope because I was at the end of my rope.
It’s funny how God answers prayers. Sometimes a song will play at just the right time, or a friend will call, or a thought will pop into your head. God brings people into our lives, and in many ways these too are the answers to our prayers. We just need to listen.
On this particular chilly day, when I was overcome with turmoil and prayed, within seconds, I heard Randy Travis’s song, “Three Wooden Crosses,” play on the radio. I really let the lines sink in: “I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” I was afraid of dying, and it bugged me that no matter how hard I fought my cancer, I didn’t have control over whether or not I’d die from it. However, what COULD I control? I could control how I lived while I was here, and what did I want to be sure to leave behind?
That’s when a metaphor…a beautiful quote that I’ve come to love so much…came to me. “If acts of kindness are like snowflakes, unique in their own beauty, then when we increase these acts, we get to see snow.” That’s it!! I wanted to leave behind metaphorical snow, and that started with “snowflakes.” I may not be able to control when my time comes, but each and every day that I am here, I can work on making another “snowflake.” I can be kind. I can show up for people. Compassion and love are key.
As the Holidays began to roll in, I was still in love with snow. It’s the season of love, and where there’s love, there’s God. It’s about showing up and being there for another. It’s about giving…and that takes many different forms: time, compassion, unconditional love. So, in 2019, I was thrilled to start a new tradition with my girls. I wanted them to grow up learning the incredible beauty of kindness and to be reminded of “snow” and how it all started with “snowflakes”. Every snowflake counts, and you’re never too young or too old to make them.
We started the Snowflake Project Christmas of 2019. As a family, we decided to make one of our Christmas gifts simply be a “snowflake.” We’d do something kind for someone who hasn’t asked, who may not even know us, but who could appreciate and love the genuine act of kindness. We’d write about it and put it in our snowflake journal to open each year on Christmas Day.