joy in a snow storm

Picture it...Sicily, 1925.  It was the worst of times....(ok, so I love me some Golden Girls!)  In reality, it was Bowling Green, 2011, and I had just ducked out of the office early, in an attempt to get home before the roads got bad.

When I pulled into the office a couple hours before, the roads were clear and there wasn't a snowflake in the sky.  Although we were under a "winter advisory" they weren't calling for it to hit until late afternoon.  I figured there'd be plenty of time to get there, finish the monthly meeting, and be well on my way home before the roads became snowy.  At least, that was my plan. 

Instead, the picture I saw was a suddenly very snowy road with the faintest hint of a path.  After one or two moments of feeling my truck slide, I very quickly decided this would be an un-fun ride home.  I prayed that the parkway would be clear because, after all, we were under a warning, why wouldn't they be treating it.  As I hesitantly entered the ramp, the answer appeared and it was yet another disappointment. 

White-knuckled at this point, I merged onto the parkway just in time to have a semi roar past me.  As the slush instantly froze on my windshield, I figured out why the roads were as bad as they were.  A quick glance to my dash registered a frigid 19 degrees.  Geez, this was going to be some kind of ride home. 

40 miles an hour on the parkway, where most idiots still flew by me regardless of the conditions, was bad enough.  Add to it that my truck was jerking, which increased my nervousness, and I was crouched down literally like the old lady I was driving as, because I could only see from the bottom of my windshield.  I couldn't clear it if I'd wanted because my hood was frozen so the wiper fluid refused to come out to play.  This all jumbled together to make for a very unpleasant and lengthy drive home.

The roads began to get a little clearer the closer I got to home, but at this point, I was such a wreck that I still couldn't make myself drive more than 55 mph.  I was ready to just give in, pull over, and let the winter weather defeat me when my knight in a white van appeared.  As my hero hobbled across the parkway, bent my wiper and cleared my windshield, my mood was on the mend.  The wind chill might have been in the single digits but I was suddenly warm from head to toe.  And yes, this hero was my husband!

Although Tim had already been to Butler county and returned home, a patient had called him back out.  When he called to check on my progress, we realized how close we were to each other.  Even though I argued, he had me to pull over and wait for him on the parkway.  I hesitated because I knew his foot was in pain, from a slip earlier in the week, but I also knew the tiny section of my windshield I could see through was getting smaller each mile. 

Just like my husband, he put his pain aside and never hesitated in helping me.  That's just how he is.  And that's why I love him so.  Thanks to a lucky break that put us on the same stretch of parkway at the same time, and to such a loving hubby, the last half of my ride was much safer and easier than the first.
I'm grateful for my husband...grateful to be home safe and snug...and grateful this is to said to be our last snow for the season!

white as snow

I'm sitting at my new desk mesmerized by beautiful snow falling outside the window.  The flakes are so large, I can't decide if they are more like cotton candy or coconut, as they dance in front of me.  There's something enchanting about falling snow.  I can get lost in it's beauty.  As this could very well be the last snowfall of the season, I'm soaking up each calming snowflake.  Freshly fallen, it is so pure and white and there's something heavenly about it. 

In some cultures, white is considered to be a color the represents death.  I'm sure for many, they would say the color black; however, when you think about what death means, the color of white is much more comforting and true.  While we grieve the loss of the person, we know they are in a better place after death.  When I see white, I think of a clean soul, a fresh slate, and a new beginning.  The peace I get from a snowy landscape gives me a glimpse of what Heaven must be like.  I would imagine the beauty of snow there, without the cold.  In Heaven, I imagine that each snowflake would be joyful as it fell.

My family prepares today to say goodbye to another loved one.  While Ninny, as I knew her, will be missed, I find joy in her passing because I know she is Home.  Perhaps, she is up there dancing among the snowflakes now.  At 91, she lived a long and good life.  Stubbornly independent, she lived on her own most of those years, only recently moving to a nursing home.  These past few months have been difficult for her and her family, as she's suffered and declined through the natural process of aging.

It's never easy saying goodbye to those we love.  It is hard to let go in this world, even knowing our loved ones are better off.  But when loved ones go home to Heaven, we must remember that it really isn't goodbye at all, just... until we meet again.

An aged Christian, with the snow of time upon his head, may remind us that

those points of earth are whitest which are nearest to heaven.