Observance
Whether you like it or not, nature will have its way. Here in middle Tennessee we see it all…warm, then cold, then a warm again spring. Hot, dry or a warm and wet summer, a beautiful autumn that promises glorious sunny warm days, then quickly turns miserably cold, and again a warm winter that suddenly stabs you with its frozen sword. The old saying is, “if you don’t like the weather, stick around, it will change in a day or two.”
Well, winter has served us a drastic blow. Last week’s weather prediction for our Cumberland Plateau area was a heavy snow fall that could amount to four, maybe even as much as nine inches of accumulation and temperatures in the teens are here. With this combination there was hazardous interstate and highway driving, not to mention our rural roads. Power outages, freezing work conditions, frozen water sources for homes and farms, danger of injury causing falls, and no milk or bread in the house. You name it; the snow brought it.
Of course there is a “lighter” side to this snow setting such as snow cream, snowmen, snowball fights, sled rides down slippery hills, the still and beauty of a snow filled night. All of God’s creations covered with a pure and pristine blanket of white.
Insight
Here’s what my wife Miriam wrote in her journal (diary) about those snowy days:
“Well, speaking of being a home body I get to do that for the next three days! And I am not even sick…thankfully. I am sitting in my comfy rocker watching the snow fall. It is 7:45 AM and the light snow began about an hour ago. Predictions of 4-6 inches or more have us ready to hunker down in our warm and cozy home.
If I could pick a perfect winter day, this might be it. The snow is leisurely falling and should continue all day. I notice the flakes are beginning to get larger and are clinging to the evergreens.
In my perfect day I would have nothing to do that was pressing. I would pull a rocking chair up to the largest window and watch it snow all day. Occasionally I would get up to make a cup of hot chocolate. I might pull myself away long enough to put together some homemade cinnamon rolls. Perhaps I would have a cross-stitch project going that allowed me to pause frequently to enjoy the snowfall.
I think I have gazed up at least 30 times from my writing since I began ten minutes ago. I would wear sweat pants and a sweat shirt all day. I would not even think about my office work. I would make a long list of things that I could or should have done during these snow captive days. I would make that list; full well knowing that I did not have to accomplish any of those tasks if I really didn’t want to.
Most of my life is so busy. We rush from this deadline to the next. I often say there is a mirage of free time out in the distance. It has not been claimed by anyone or anything. It is a space that is free and we may use it as we like. But as we get closer to it, it further extends itself just out of reach again. One day, one day, I will sneak up on that space. I think today might be that day.
There is a sense of lightness, exhilaration if you will, that accompanies an unclaimed day. In fact, yesterday at my office, I could hardly wait until I finished my self-assigned tasks. Returning home, I felt light, almost giddy. “Let the promised winter reprieve begin” was my thought as I pulled into the garage. I love it!” (end of Miriam’s journal entry)
In a scene that plays out often in snowy weather, a young driver was in a hurry to meet a friend and hit an icy patch on the road. Before she could react, the car slid off the road and wedged tightly into a snowbank. The snow cushioned the impact, but the car was stuck. Soon the young woman was able to signal to a kind passerby who helped her free the car, and she was on her way.
The road of life, like that wintry highway, is full of slippery patches. Even when we’re trying to be careful, circumstances may cause us to get stuck, emotionally trapped, and unable to free ourselves. Perhaps a heavy burden we carry from our past prevents us from moving forward. Or worse, sometimes the hazards of life’s journey cause even more serious harm. Often through no fault of our own, we are hit with something that causes pain, guilt, and long-lasting suffering.
Things can get better. Even today, soon we will see the snow melt and the tender green sprigs of new spring grass, new life, will come forth.
Like the grass, we can find renewal and that there are those around us who, like a kind passerby, will lend a listening ear and offer loving help.
Southern Standard contributor Cordell Crawford can be contacted at crawfordcordell@yahoo.com.
