This is going to be a stretch for me to admit, but I’m glad it snowed today.
Reason being is that, here in central North Carolina, snowstorms tend to come with some level of irregularity. Some years we get lucky and never see any of the white stuff, while other years we end up getting it at the worst possible time. Yet, once in a blue moon we get the kind of storm that literally shuts everything down. Which is why whenever the forecast calls for snow, we make a even bigger deal of the whole thing than we should. The sudden absence of milk and bread at any local supermarket is proof we tend to err on the side of caution during the chilly months.
Needless to say, the nature of these events are two-sided. If you’re a kid (or literally young at heart), it becomes a fun day free from responsibility and worry. It’s a moment to enjoy carefree moments such as sledding down the hill, making snow creatures of every size imaginable, and sitting in front of a glowing fire sipping hot chocolate once we come in from the cold. For those of us who have to brave the elements to get to work (especially if your job carries a certain degree of importance), having to traverse roads filled with ice and snow can be quite brutal. Even so, the spectre of responsibility and worry envelops those who have a difficult time viewing snow as an enjoyable respite our Creator imbues upon the landscape.
As for today, I was glad to partake in this amazement of wonder and delight. We all need moments in our lives to cast our worries and sorrows aside, event if it’s only for a day, to truly see the splendor and glory that lie ahead. Only when we we choose to take a “time out” from the rat race and take in all the sights and sounds can we get a better perspective of what God’s trying to tell us.
Having spent so much time worrying about trying to get things done, it’s often too easy for me to lose focus on what’s really important. And besides, without this much needed pause, I wouldn’t have given too much thought into the significance of this day for our country and our world.
Which is good enough for me, especially since I now have to travel those ice-slicked roads in the morning. Too bad my tendency to either “get things done now” or procrastinate freely are always in conflict.
