I’ve often heard how snow days are God’s way of saying “slow down.” You know…you’re stuck in the house and what else can you do but sit down with some hot chocolate by the fire?
Well that might be what God wants other people to do with their snow days. God clearly has other plans for MY snow days…he’s putting me to WORK. MY snow days are physical work outs. Our recent snow storm/blizzard (depending on where you live) is a prime example of this. My neighborhood received about 14 inches of snow, and my grandmother in Union received about 30 inches of snow, plus drifts.
Physical workouts: Those of you who know me personally know that exercise is not one of my favorite activities (and it shows, unfortunately). So I figure God gives me snow days to remind me of the fact that it would be good thing to keep in better shape, because Mother Nature will certainly continue to dump snow in my life for many years to come.
I’ve got:
1. My own snow 25 foot driveway and about 50 feet of sidewalk,
2. God has gifted me with the care of a truly dear and wonderful, elderly neighbor, so you can double the load. AND, because of the older construction methods and various other issues, it frequently is necessary to use a snow rake on her home (yes, there is such a thing) to pull snow off the roof and leave the gutter edge free of melting and freezing components that might cause ice damming and water damage in her house.
Bending and lifting, reaching and pulling, but I’m not done yet…
3. I telephone my almost 96 year old grandmother to find out her situation. Sometimes she hardly receives any of the white stuff. This time she was buried in almost 30 inches of it. Talk about aching muscles…off to Union we go. Her driveway is about the same size as mine (we’re up to 75 feet of driveway total now), but she’s got a ton of sidewalk as she lives on a corner. The Twp. of Union graciously drops her a computerized telephone message before every storm reminding residents that they have to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the storm or face receiving a ticket. A ticket is terror for an elderly lady.
Why not use a snow blower? Because then I would not be able to enjoy the quietness of a snowed in landscape, the grumble of children pressed into service to help out their neighbor and grandmother (no, really... snow storms are lessons in community service and they actually grumble very little), or listen to the little voice of God that speaks to me in the these snow storms and says, “see, a little exercise won’t kill you….now what are you going to do tomorrow?” Snow, just like raking leaves in the Fall, planting plants and cleaning up in the Spring, and cutting the lawn in the Summer, is God's way of forcing me to get out there in the fresh air and be active and alive in His Creation.
What do you do with the snow days God gives to you? I bet you’ve got your own story. Comment and share it with us.
Well that might be what God wants other people to do with their snow days. God clearly has other plans for MY snow days…he’s putting me to WORK. MY snow days are physical work outs. Our recent snow storm/blizzard (depending on where you live) is a prime example of this. My neighborhood received about 14 inches of snow, and my grandmother in Union received about 30 inches of snow, plus drifts.
Physical workouts: Those of you who know me personally know that exercise is not one of my favorite activities (and it shows, unfortunately). So I figure God gives me snow days to remind me of the fact that it would be good thing to keep in better shape, because Mother Nature will certainly continue to dump snow in my life for many years to come.
I’ve got:
1. My own snow 25 foot driveway and about 50 feet of sidewalk,
2. God has gifted me with the care of a truly dear and wonderful, elderly neighbor, so you can double the load. AND, because of the older construction methods and various other issues, it frequently is necessary to use a snow rake on her home (yes, there is such a thing) to pull snow off the roof and leave the gutter edge free of melting and freezing components that might cause ice damming and water damage in her house.
Bending and lifting, reaching and pulling, but I’m not done yet…
3. I telephone my almost 96 year old grandmother to find out her situation. Sometimes she hardly receives any of the white stuff. This time she was buried in almost 30 inches of it. Talk about aching muscles…off to Union we go. Her driveway is about the same size as mine (we’re up to 75 feet of driveway total now), but she’s got a ton of sidewalk as she lives on a corner. The Twp. of Union graciously drops her a computerized telephone message before every storm reminding residents that they have to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the storm or face receiving a ticket. A ticket is terror for an elderly lady.
Why not use a snow blower? Because then I would not be able to enjoy the quietness of a snowed in landscape, the grumble of children pressed into service to help out their neighbor and grandmother (no, really... snow storms are lessons in community service and they actually grumble very little), or listen to the little voice of God that speaks to me in the these snow storms and says, “see, a little exercise won’t kill you….now what are you going to do tomorrow?” Snow, just like raking leaves in the Fall, planting plants and cleaning up in the Spring, and cutting the lawn in the Summer, is God's way of forcing me to get out there in the fresh air and be active and alive in His Creation.
What do you do with the snow days God gives to you? I bet you’ve got your own story. Comment and share it with us.
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