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Saturday, February 6, 2010

A snowy meditation

God has a sense of humor. You have a to-do list a mile long? Two feet of snow can change your priorities real quick. The top item on our agenda over the past 24 hours has been plowing and shoveling. Last major snowfall (17 inches) we were trapped because our looong driveway was totally impassable. (A kind neighbor came to our aid fortunately.) This time we decided to be pro-active.

So when the snow began, we went out to plow/shovel every few hours to keep ahead of it. And we have: Friday: 5:00 pm,. 7:30 pm,. 10:00 p.m., 11:45 p.m. (phew!) Saturday: 2:45 a.m., (yawn!) 5:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 2:00 p.m. (sheesh!)

I've gone through two jackets, three pairs of pants, and three sets of gloves. I found out my rainhat is 100/% waterproof and it kept my head dry. And for the last few trecks out I figured if I draped a poncho (the one in the closet that serves as a chasuble when "Paka" plays Mass with the grandkids) over the back of the tractor and my legs, it would act like a blanket and keep me dry. It worked! No more wet seat and legs. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

At 3:30 we headed out again for what we hoped would be the last time. The driveway is getting narrower and narrower, but so far is still passable. I have never seen so much snow in my entire life. We've had a fir tree uproot and another tree fell on the trampoline which will disappoint the grandchildren, but we are praising God that the electricity is still on because if it goes we have no water. (On the other hand, two feet of snow is a lot of water. We certainly won't go thirsty! And we have plenty of wood for a fire.)

Dealing with all this snow got me thinking about the virtue of fortitude. Nature gives one lots of opportunities to practice virtue (kneeling in the garden is great prayer time!) and the one uppermost for us at present is fortitude. We prayed a lot while we worked that the electricty would stay on, the homeless would find shelter, that folks who had to travel would be safe, and that caregivers would get to the hospitals and nursing homes to tend to those in need. Now that the snow has stopped, we've checked with our loved ones and everyone is safe and warm. So this evening will be a time of thanksgiving in front of a fire roasting hot dogs and praising God for His goodness. There's nothing like praying the rosary by firelight. And thank you, Lord, that every abortion mill in the area is closed. May the moms who couldn't keep their appointments today, rethink their decisions and let their little ones live.

4 comments:

  1. Good grief, Mary Ann!

    How are your out buildings? Are they holding up? All of that snow! Incredible.

    Boy, we here in southwest Indiana have been somewhat spared (a mere 3-5" lst night).

    Prayers are with you and yours.

    Kevin Lents

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  2. Please be careful draping the poncho over the back of the tractor - as a Michigander, I know you could back into a snow bank which would push the poncho against the loose (spinning) chains and they could grab hold and pull you backward! We need you! Just something to ponder! I'm suprised to see folks here in Maryland wait until it's 20 or 29.5 inches (Germantown) before they try to push the snow. Same for sidewalks. Sure is fun! I love driving in it! Isn't God fun!

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  3. The only casualties so far are the pine tree and the trampoline. Now at Dulles Airport they have a hangar with the roof collapsing so we're hopeful nothing like that happens here. It's supposed to be windy tomorrow which doesn't bode well for the electric lines, but I don't worry much because my favorite scripture is from Romnas: "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and serve according to his purpose."

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  4. Mary Ann. We up here in Milford Pa where the delaware river connect NJ, NY AND PA
    Snow like your experiencing is a event that takes place here a few times over the winter. We have 4 children and really get excited when a storm like you got and we missed this time comes around. We enjoy the event. Get firewood for the fireplace ready to go and settle down for a few days. The kids play in the snow, I snow blow the 250 foot driveway, hot coco and my wife and I enjoy a few bottles of wine over the course of the day and evening. But it makes us also realize how human we really are and how a snow event shows us who really is in charge of things on earth. But we enjoy the family time and everyone is involved in the day. I do also have a generator to power the heat, water and other esentials which take the worry from us during these times. A few winters back we lost power for a week and only had a wood stove to keep us warm. The outside cold worked as a fridge and water, well that got to be a bit of a problem once I drained the 50 gallon hot water tank. Sleeping bags on the living room floor by the wood stove, curtian closed to keep the heat in. It was a reminder to how far as a culture we have become as far as comfort and others we depend on to maintain that comfort. But it also served as a time we as a family remeber and reflect back to with the kids as conversation.

    You will do the same with your snow storm this time and it will be brought up in the coming years to reflect on the day. Enjoy it. We do as it hits that big here a few times a season. Its been 20 degress since about Christmas here with nothing higher then 30 and a long way to go till April when it finally gets warm enough to emerge.
    But the mountian area we live in holds so much to be greatful for and living in its winter grip.

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