“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?”
Job 38:22
Many years ago, when we were homeschooling as a family, we decided to study snowflakes. It might seem like it’s not a practical thing, but the study of snowflakes is part of the larger study of the physics of water. It all began when we got a copy of Kenneth Libbrecht’s book, The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty.
As a coffee table book, it’s beautiful. There are many incredible photos of snowflakes, but many of them were grown in a lab, and are therefore more “perfect.” And by that, I mean that they are self-identical, and symmetrical. (Snowflakes that occur naturally are more full of variance.) Libbrecht also has an extensive web site with all kinds of images and information about the development and physics of snowflakes.
We also learned about “Snowflake” Wilson Bently (1867 – 1931), who systematically set out to photograph (and study) snowflakes en masse over a hundred years ago. Mr. Bently worked with the old-fashioned camera they had at the turn of the last century, and somehow found a way to isolate and photograph thousands of snowflakes. He is the one I really admire, because we copied his style of outdoor photography, and I got frostbite on one finger to prove it!
Back then, we didn’t have an old-fashioned camera, of course; but we experimented with our point-and-shoot camera and did some experiments with compound lenses (a jeweler’s loupe, a magnifying glass, eyeglasses, etc.) to try to get the tiny crystals in focus. My miracle camera now is much more technically advanced, but even with the help, it’s still a struggle to bring those snowflakes into focus.
Apparently, it was Wilson Bently, mentioned above, who came up with the idea that no two snowflakes are alike, and now people all over the world have heard of his idea, whether they have heard of him or not. His study of snowflakes infected him with continual wonder about what he was photographing. And when we took the time to search for and find snowflakes, we felt the same way. Still do!
The search for the most beautiful snowflake is a little like the quest for the most beautiful sunrise. For “His mercies are new every morning,” and there is always an endless supply of surprising new things to see in nature. What will you see when you open your eyes to the wonder of His creation?
Nature doesn’t belong to one more than any other of us. We are all just the stewards. And if we are blessed enough to discover something fresh, it sure does feel like a gift! But it’s a gift that we are meant to share, not something we can keep for ourselves. Imagine all the things there are yet to discover in this fantastic world God designed!
“Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?”
Job 38:29
Enjoy the delights of the season, my friends! Yes, it’s cold and gray. But this weather doesn’t last, and there are blessings in this time that are not available later on. Can you think of some? (The comfort of hot chocolate? A warm fire in the evening? An excuse to snuggle? More time to read?) These are some of the blessings of winter.
I pray your day is filled with appreciation for the things that bless you, right now! Be warm and blessed!
The Fullers Four 