The Winter Sky

Today was a disgusting weather day. When I trekked outside to get wood at -- yes -- 5:30 this morning, I was greeted by a treacherous layer of ice on top of what would have been some lovely snow. At that moment I couldn't quite decide whether it would be best to let the fire in the stove die out or risk slipping and hitting my head, to be found by my family hours later. I decided it was cold and it would be better not to let the fire die out. That was a good choice, because the day remained cold and wet and gray and altogether unpleasant. Until this evening, that is. The wind started to blow and the western horizon cleared. It was nearly dark, and the sky above held dark gray clouds, but a good stretch of horizon was the deep blue of twilight, tinted with orange at its edges. It was breathtaking.

Somehow, for me, tonight's winter sky seemed to carry a poignant message. So many people I know are suffering right now. Job losses. Financial difficulties. Drug and alcohol problems. Marital problems. Major disappointments. All of the above. I, quite frankly, have been having my own particular brand of difficulties lately, which have left me tired and distracted (and not blogging much). Yet tonight's sky seemed so hopeful. The whole day was dreadful, and night was coming on. If the sky had waited a few more minutes to clear, the twilight and the glow of the setting sun would have been lost. But it was not. It seemed to me to be a perfect reflection of a deeper reality.

When I am praying for someone (or for myself) over the long haul -- some ongoing source of pain and trouble -- I usually reach a point where I run out of prayers. Then I'm just sort of hanging on for that person, and I often start to pray in pictures -- because I have no more words.

All hope seems lost in many of these situations that are on my mind, but I know it's not. When I run out of prayers, I will pray tonight's clearing winter sky, the unexpected twilight and the sunset's warm glow. I will remember that sometimes salvation comes long after it even seems possible. Hope has already been lost. But the change comes anyway -- sudden and unexpected, like tonight's breathtaking horizon.

Snow!

Every birthday throughout my childhood, my birthday wish was for a snow day the following day. If I remember correctly, it actually happened one time. Magic.

Well, today is my birthday and I am delighted to report that it snowed today -- a very unexpected two or three inches. Who knew? In this age of the Weather Channel and an overall over-reporting of weather-related news, it is wonderful to be surprised by snow. Usually it works the other way -- excessive hype about something that turns out to be a non-event. I hate that -- the way everyone flocks to the grocery store for milk, eggs, and toilet paper (yes, I spy on people's grocery carts) at the threat of a dusting of snow.

But today the snow was a pure surprise. The boys and I went to Longwood Gardens, and it was a delightful way to spend the afternoon. The flowers were inspirational and fragrant, and outside the windows of the conservatory we could see the trees covered in snow. When it was time to go, they ran and slid down the pathways, and I admired the frosting on the trees. Perfect.

My only complaint of the day: The inability of the state of Pennsylvania to actually clear roadways. What exactly is their problem? We saw three accidents and four cars that had run off the road. The roads were treacherous. It took us more than twice as long to get home as it should have. But when we got into Maryland, it was smooth sailing...they had even cleared the shoulder. Okay, complaint over.

Snow, in some mysterious way, elevates everything. Why is that?

High-Low

I think I better make my way to Wal-Mart and get that bird feeder before I go down the tubes. Where does that expression come from anyway? Down the tubes. What sense does that make?

Anyway, the new year got its start in...well...not the most desirable manner. Two boys came down with the stomach flu on new year's night, and then my husband got it the next night. Son2 has been dealing with a milder version this week -- along with a three-day migraine. Happy new year indeed. Ugh.

All of this has left me feeling a bit drained and a tad...depressed, or something. Thus the need to make the bird feeder a priority. All of this is nothing that a few juncos and chickadees couldn't cure.

January. It's just not my favorite month. April through October, I'm good. November through March, not so much. But, because it's important to look on the bright side, I'm trying to come up with some good things about January. Here's my list thus far (though, I confess, it's short, and a bit heavy on the TV side of things):

1. The start of 24!
2. The start of Lost
3. My birthday
4. The possibility of a snowstorm

Unfortunately, I'm hard pressed to come up with any other good things about January. If you know of any, please fill me in.

The morning of new year's day, we had a big breakfast and we each had to list our high and low of the past year. Here are mine:

Low: The gzillion medical appointments my children had this past fall.
High: The election of Barack Obama. Seriously. I was having trouble identifying the highest high. There were a lot of great days, but I could not come up with The Big Moment. And then my husband looked at me and said, "Election night. Your high was election night." And he was right.

And that leads me to add one more item to my list of good things about January: the inauguration. (BTW, one of the great things about making a list of good things is that once you start doing it, you keep thinking of more. I used to have a notebook full of good things.)

High-Low is one of our favorite things to talk about. I'd love to hear your highs and lows for 2008 if you feel like sharing them.