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.