And I found this.
In the Mud. Just frozen mud.
I like mud. It reminds me of clay and sculpting and big messes with creative children and I love that.
It also reminds me of mud puddle stomping in the half-frozen springtime with my friend Joy. We each had a tall pair of rubber boots, perfect for stomping through frigid, crystallized mud lakes down the hill from her house. But my boots had leaky zippers on the sides. So we shared our boots; each taking one waterproof boot, and pushing our stockinged feet into two long plastic bread bags, then into the leaky boots, then into an old five-gallon bucket. We'd wrap an arm around each other and three-legged race it through puddles and ponds, cold, splashing, wet, and gloriously happy.
We always fell.
Our moms never complained about the mess.
This Sunday morning, when I found these crystal jewels of frozen snowflakes in the mud, I smiled. It was just a muddy, dirt road. That's all. But that's life. We're all stuck in it together, muddy fingernails, leaky boots, and all. Glorious, messy life.
I hope you can find the crystal jewels of perfection in your muddy life today. And if you have leaky boots, I hope you have a friend with a five gallon bucket.