Tag Archive | snow

Valentine’s Day

Feb14

16707425_10158230254290156_4180565611012105938_oHappy Valentine’s  Day from snow bound Nova Scotia! More people may be shovelling than having romantic dinners  today,  but we can  still choose to focus on  love and friendship. As my husband and I shovelled, we laughed with our neighbours, making the task much easier, more like an occasion than a chore.

Sometimes life is just hard. Relationships shatter, often for no apparent reason. People hurt each other and find it hard to forgive. Dreams fall apart or do not play out as we had hoped. Loved ones die. Life’s problems and heartaches sometimes make it necessary to live one day, one moment at a time.

However, we were never meant to live our days in sadness or despair. The Psalms are full  of action words such as: sing, rejoice, praise and worship. There is a time for grief but also a time for dancing. God loves us. He will never let us down. Situations will change and we will walk with a lightness of heart again. Keep smiling. I have heard it said more than once that smiling confuses the devil.

Today might not be the perfect Valentine’s Day. However, you can laugh while you are shovelling, dance in the snow, think of those you love, and remember that spring is not that far away.

Happy Shovelling….I mean, Valentine’s Day!

 

Resurrection

Apr4

Today, as I walked outside into the bright sunshine glinting off the snow, a bird landed in the tree in our yard. I wondered if it could be a robin.The bird turned enough that I could see its red breast. “I just saw my first robin!” I exclaimed excitedly to the mail lady, who was just walking up the steps of our porch. She was pleased too. In this land of snow and ice, the sight of a robin warmed our hearts.

The locals say this has been the worst winter Nova Scotia has experienced in many years. Even White Juan, in 2004, did not fill our streets and sidewalks with so much snow. It is almost Easter and gritty snow banks are piled high. Sometimes, it seems impossible to believe that the snow will ever disappear and spring take over its destined place.

Yet the little robin gives me hope. The sun is also a little warmer and there are daffodil shoots in my garden,in a small space where the snow has melted. The towering snow banks will disappear and once more the season of growth will arrive.

When Jesus died on the cross, it must have appeared to his disciples that all their hopes had died with him. Although he had told them he would rise again, they didn’t appear to understand what he meant. We can only imagine the despair and darkness that must have filled their hearts during the terrible hours following the crucifixion.

However, death had no hold on Jesus. The resurrection occurred, at this specific and appointed time in history, and the chains of sin, fear and hopelessness fell off the human race. The disciples were overjoyed and spread the good news. People continue today to experience peace and joy, as they make the decision to accept God’s free gift of grace.

Spring will come to Nova Scotia and new life will be given to all who ask.

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Snow Day

Jan22

When I was a child, growing up in Owen Sound, Ontario, it was inevitable that winter would bring a bountiful offering of snow. Since Owen Sound is situated in a snow belt, eventually the piles of snow would be stacked high along the roads. Even though I was warned not to climb these  snow mountains, the temptation was irresistible.

My relationship with snow was in those days uncomplicated. Snow was fun! Somehow, I could stay outside for hours, making snow tunnels and forts, tasting the snow on my tongue, and lying down on the ground to wave my arms and feet back and forth to make snow angels. My friends and I slid down the hill at Ryerson School  on sleds and landed in heaps at the bottom. We didn’t seem to worry about how cold or wet we were, just the good time we were having.

Once I was an adult and had children of my own, snow became more challenging. We tussled with snow pants, jackets, hats, mitts and scarves. Since I was concerned about cold, little hands, I had strings put on the mittens, so the children were less likely to lose them. Still, my youngest daughter managed to misplace her winter jacket on the way home from school one day, and I have never figured out how! To provide winter entertainment, my husband built skating rinks in the backyard. We gathered up skates and helmets and later hockey sticks.The kids and I made paper snowflakes and other wintertime crafts and wiled away the hours with good books.

SnowyDayKeats

One of these was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a picture book  chosen in 1963 for the Caldecott Medal, because of its lively illustrations. The story begins: “One winter morning Peter woke up and looked out the window. Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see.” Peter spends a magical day outside, engaging in all the activities that  children enjoy.  A complication arises when Peter tries to continue the fun by stuffing his pockets with snowballs before he comes inside. However, all is well the next morning, and he is ready for another day of adventure.

Today, as a Nor’easter blows through Nova Scotia, bringing blizzard conditions, closing schools and making roads treacherous, my relationship with snow is again uncomplicated. It is the perfect opportunity to stay inside, sit at my computer, and write about snow. I am content to watch the flakes spinning past my window, and reflect on snowy days gone by.