The freezing hurricane-like wind felt like a slap in the face, it was hard to breathe. The snow drifts made it impossible to know when the edge of the road ended and the cow pasture began. It was the epitome of what mountain people call "white-out" conditions. Undaunted, I had to make it to Mass to celebrate the mystery of all mysteries -- the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the light in darkness, the Prince of Peace, the Alpha and the Omega, the One from whom all things were made. After all, He made the snow, the wind, and the cold.