I am snow very happy!

I absolutely love the snow! Love it! And I know this puts me in radically thin company this time of year. About 10 minutes after the first snowflake showed up in late November, people started complaining about the snow and wishing winter away. Granted, some friends of mine here in NJ were a little more even minded and enjoyed the post-Christmas blizzard since it didn't disrupt school or too many travel plans. Here in the Northeast, we take snow with a grain of salt - we know it is going to happen - so we have salt trucks and snow plows ready for the onslaught. But as the weekly snow storms this January have dumped on average 4-8" (depending upon where you live in NJ) many people I know have grown down-right snow weary and winter fatigued. My friend Tracey has even put Old Man Winter on notice and she plans to drop him like a hot potato and throw him over for Hot Mr. Summer - but with no luck. Because - cue the music for a bass solo -

you know Ol' Man Winter,
That old man winter,
He let's it snow in winter,
But not in the summer,
He just keeps snowing,
He just keeps snowing along!

Well, today's winter storm was something of a 'surprise!' here in NJ. Even though we've been hearing about it for close on for a week or so, weather models over the weekend predicted a wintry mess of rain and sleet. Presently it is doing that outside right now. Yesterday, nearly every weather model out there forecast that the precip would be light this morning and pick up its intensity this afternoon. And that just didn't happen. It started snowing before dawn and the morning rush hour was awful. Plows and spreaders were scrambling because they trusted the weather prognosticators. But as my brother says to his summer lifeguarding staff wondering about thunderstorms headed for the pool he manages, "You can't predict the future, only rely on the past to guide your guesses". But no one guessed that there would be 4" of snow on the ground by 8:30 this morning. So I don't blame Tracey or a former pastor of mine who is ready to take a snow shovel to the person he finds out has been praying for snow. I do try and keep a low profile about how much I enjoy this kind of weather by not constantly advertising how much I enjoy weather like this - and Mike, I promise, it really wasn't me saying those prayers!Some snow haters might think I like the snow so much because I don't have to deal with the hardships or downside of a winter storm. But I've had my share of terrifying and life changing moments in snow storms. Once my car was nearly totaled in a single vehicle car accident during the Blizzard of '96 (and I remain forever grateful to my cousin Steve for rescuing me and my car!) I also experienced a memorable 8 hours driving my car with frozen windshield fluid through Kentucky and West Virginia in a steady snow. The whole drive, my friend Kulli, an international student from Estonia, calmly read a book in the passenger seat next to me would occasionally look up and say "It really isn't bad yet, is it?" to which I would reply "It'll be your turn to clean the windshield at the next rest stop" where we would both get out, grab handfuls of the cleanest slush we could find and wash the front windshield of the sand, salt and grit thrown up from the tractor trailers crawling alongside us on the interstate. And I have the tragic memory seared into my brain forever of seeing my neighbor on Second Street in Dunellen fallen over in the middle of the sidewalk with a shovel in his hand and then helping to keep his new widow warm and dry in the open garage door while the police waited on the coroner's office office to show up. Even after all these years, my brother can tell by the sound of the phone that I've called to tell him to be very careful for all the snow clean-up he does for his house, his mother-in-law's and our aunt.

Maybe it is because I respect the snow and the potential harm it holds that allows me to love it as much as I do. In several ways, snow is kind of like the ocean: a terrible force able to snuff out life without a moment's notice and yet a tranquil entity that invites you to drink it in and contemplate its vast peaceful beauty. Life slows down in a snowstorm. I think of it as Mother Nature's way of telling us to take a break from the routine of life. So many of us schedule vacations for the summer, but Old Man Winter gets to decide for us that it is time to take stock, hunker down, snuggle up for a bit and ride out the storm. Of course, it is hectic and puts us on edge as we race to the grocery store to stock up on milk, bread and eggs. There's no doubt in my mind that there are more of us (me included) buying these stapes to have them 'just in cases' than those who are of thinking about making French toast as a delightful way to enjoy the storm. There's also a mess to clean up but as we (please be careful and safe out there!) shovel clear our walkways and driveways, there's a new fresh blanket covering the earth, protecting it from winter's harshest furies and renewing the ground for spring.

I've said before on this blog that I love each of the four seasons in their own turn. And as true as that is, I freely admit to have a very soft spot for Old Man Winter having lived in the South for many years and not experiencing my annual dose of snow. One of my favorite Bible verses (and I've blogged about it here ) is Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven" and this morning, my reading of Proverbs 26:1 added a timely twist on Ecclesiastes; "Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool". That speaks to me today, reminding me there's a rhythm to life and the seasons we pass through. Each season does something special in its turn. My parents raised two kids to enjoy winter sports as much as summer swimming and I see my brother instilling that in my niece and nephew. As much as each season threatens peril there is good to be had as well - an opportunity to let go and let God work within us in this season now so we will be ready for the next as it comes in its own turn. Because if there is one thing we do know; one day ol' man winter won't be snowing, he'll just be rolling along.

Because this fence line looks so good in the snow,
I couldn't limit myself to just one picture.