SNOWFLAKES! Purportedly, no two alike. It takes a Mastermind to first of all devise such intricacies and then . . . own the Supreme intelligence to put the conceptual design in motion.
From Science: How Stuff Works
The next time you’re catching one with your tongue, you might stop to consider the long and arduous plight of the snowflake. Those delicate and intricate crystals have traveled many miles before they plummet to the ground alongside their trillions of cousins. And although they fly in multitudes, the word on the snow-slicked street is that no two of those little flakes are alike. Can every snowflake really be different?
The short answer is yes, snowflakes really are different from one another. You might find some that are exceedingly similar (particularly at the beginning of a flake’s development) but fully formed snowflakes are indeed structurally different, if only by tiniest of degrees.
Is every snowflake actually unique?
Details . . . consider the diversity of human scent. Special. No two people share the same scent. This reality was demonstrated in the spring of 2004 when we participated with our bloodhound, Agatha, in a mantrailing seminar in Las Vegas. Coordinators did some very creative prep work by utilizing local volunteers—some of whom laid scent trails as “targets” throughout the Las Vegas Strip—accomplished one day prior to our training exercise. Those target volunteers became the bloodhounds’ subject of focus and were instructed to return to the end of their trail the following day using a different route . . . and to wait there for the bloodhounds.
To properly test a bloodhound’s ability to follow a day-old trail, the volunteer must not retrace his or her original steps when going back to the end of the scent trail. Doing so would effectively create a fresh trail over the top of the previous day’s trail.
Stay with me here . . . it gets even better!
Two participating volunteers were identical twin girls in their late teens. The day preceding our training event, the twins set off walking, initially together, with instructions to “split up” at a predetermined point and finish their trails in different areas of the Strip. Scent articles were obtained from each volunteer. Those scent articles were carefully labeled and stored in separate, clean ziplock bags. When it was Agatha’s turn to follow a scent trail, I put on her work harness and attached the long lead—signaling to her that we were ready to work. Agatha took scent and set off like a rocket pulling me at extreme speeds. She enthusiastically followed the scent trail along sidewalks, ascending an outdoor escalator, around planters in an outdoor plaza, descending a steep stairway, and through crowds of tourists. Now it’s just a blur. Ultimately, Agatha came upon a teen girl sitting outside on a bench. She stopped and gave the girl a good sniff and identified her as the subject. Later during the debriefing at the command center, we learned about the prearranged operation using identical twins. Each bloodhound successfully differentiated between the twin girls and followed the trail of the twin whose scent they were given—verifying that even identical twins have extraordinary human scent. Fascinating!
Psalm 139:13-16 (Living Bible)
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit them together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
It is amazing to think about.
Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.
You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion!
You saw me before I was born
and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe.
Every day was recorded in your book!
David, the son of Jesse and composer of this psalm, was a dutiful shepherd boy tending and watching over his father’s flock of sheep. Later, with God’s help, he took on the colossal Goliath . . . and prevailed! Ultimately, he was chosen by God to be the king of Israel, succeeding King Saul. Was David perfect? No, and he admitted his shortcomings before God and experienced His forgiveness. He knew that the same God who knit him together in his mother’s womb could also be trusted with every facet of his life.
God is Director of every detail of our lives!
Oh, how beautiful and powerful. Thank you, Leslie
Everything God does is so well thought out! ❤️
I’ve said this before, Leslie, you take me to places I’ve not ever been. Thank you for a most wondrous journey as I marvel at the Majestic Creativity of Our Lord. You, are one of his finest “snowflakes!”
Each of us shed microscopic skin cells every single day. Without giving it a second thought, we leave those skin cells everywhere we go. Scent litter! Unless there’s a canine trained in following human scent, the trail goes unnoticed and eventually fades. Bloodhounds excel in following “cold” trails (i.e., old trails).