Today is Monday, December 29th, 2014; Karen's Korner #2971

Merry Christmas! after one week away from putting together Karen's Korner. Hope that your Christmas was as good and rewarding as ours was!

As you know Karen, Mick, Thomas, William, and Emily (Feeley) came to visit at our Iowa farm home for a week, from Australia via United Kingdom where Mick is working for one year. Adding our daughter Jamie, Tim, Luke, Molly and Noah, in and out for the same amount of time. Then we added on Ed (Merry's husband), his wife Heather plus daughters Eva and Hannah for a one-night outing in Des Moines.

It was great, very memorable.

We knew even before Jim passed away that the Australian tribe was going to be traveling here at Christmas time. So we had months to think, dream, plan.

The Feeley kids had never seen snow and it never gets as cold where they live in Western Australia. So adults and kids began to hope, believe, pray for snow for the holidays. The weather forecast didn't look too promising; maybe a day or two after Christmas. I had warned Karen that even if we did get snow, it might not be the right temperatures for snowmen making.

They flew from United Kingdom on Monday, December 22, landing late that evening. Because of the lateness, they had chosen to stay that evening in a Des Moines motel. I was to meet them mid-morning on Tuesday, December 23.

I was relaxing in my recliner early that morning, listening for the weather forecast. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard, "It has been raining here in Des Moines, but there is a small band of snow which has fallen overnight near Fort Dodge."

What? I flipped on the porch step light and there it was.....about 4" of the white stuff. Plus it was perfect for grabbing a handful to make a snowball.

The band of snow was narrow. No snow as I drove south probably 20 miles. I broke the good news to the five Feeleys in Des Moines and we headed 'home'.

Popping out of our vehicle upon arriving back near Clarion, the snow throwing began. Snowmen parts could be made by rolling the balls only a few feet. We barely had time to eat lunch!

And the 'snow making' weather continued the next day and the next - Christmas Day. The six family kids (ages 10, 9 , 8, 7, 6, & 5) worked all afternoon on the 25th, building a snow fort plus 150 snowballs for 'ammunition' to 'fight the adults'. Don't know if anyone won; we probably all did!

Not sure all the snow men still remain upright, but at one time we had eight! Our neighbor called and told us if we ran out of snow, we could use some of his!

Last night the Feeleys spent the night at Jamie's, ready to catch a flight back to their temporary home in the UK this a.m.

But we are left with memories of a Christmas when God saw fit to answer our simple prayers 'for the gift of snow' for three kids from Australia who wanted to see snow. And He gave us the 'right kind and right temperatures'!

What a wonderful and caring God........who loves us more than we can imagine!

Matthew 7:7,8 (in part) says, "....ask and it will given to you.....for everyone who asks will receive....."



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