Tag Archives: snow

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Of perspectives and their blessings…..

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Despite the snow, I was able to have a meeting, a Bible Study, and get Ben to the doctor today (with Amanda). It is now a few minutes after 10pm and the plow has just hit our street for the first time. With all the snow we have had, some reports of a foot, you can imagine how challenging my day has been.

On the upside, we have a plan now with Habitat for Humanity, the Tony Dungy Bible Study book has been completed, a men’s group begins next week (at St. Patrick’s) in its place, and Ben now has medicine for “pink eye” of which two doses have already been given. It’s been a snowy, but productive day.

It surprises me, because all around me the (local) world seems shut down. The snow was a normal one from where I am from, and to me there seemed no reason to not get things done. It didn’t look like a foot to me, more like 6-8 inches, but life is often all about perspective. Perspective can limit or empower and often influences our attitude. This snow would have been a minor, yet expected inconvenience (after all it is winter) in Mishawaka, but here it was a news story…..go figure.

Anyway, the day is done and I am in bed typing away. The cat is on my feet, Amanda is asleep, and Ben is here too, as close as he possibly can be (to her) probably giving her pink eye. But I am thankful for the day, and for the snow and my heritage as a northerner. These snows remind me of home and of my youth, and those thoughts are always good for my soul. I was blessed to grow up in a great place at a great time, and those memories are a real gift. Snow makes everything seem so beautiful and new. I thank God for it and for today. I hope you had a blessed day as well.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Snow days with benefits……..

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Praise God, the drywall is almost all up and most of it is taped. The basement is looking like a basement again! That makes me very happy too! I worked from home all day today, and got a lot done, but will have to go out tonight despite the snow to do a few things I didn’t want to haul Ben around with me to do. It should be a quick trip. I have a full schedule on deck for tomorrow.

Days like today when I was a youngster meant money! In the age before snow blowers we used these things that were actually called “snow shovels” and for a couple of bucks we would use them to shovel people’s driveways. Sure, it was the old days, days of horse-drawn carriages and dinosaurs, but shoveling and mowing lawns was how we made our money, and plus it was a lot of fun.

I still enjoy it too, though I know it can be pretty strenuous. I usually take a Golden or two out with me when I do, because each shovel full is an adventure. I am just trying to get it off the drive and the walks, but they think each one is a playful attack on them. It takes a bit longer to shovel with them “helping,” but it warms up even the coldest night. I never laugh so hard working in all my life. And as I look outside I am afraid we have an opportunity tonight!

So off to get my shovel I go. Stay warm my friends, I know I will. And while I am thinking about dogs, say a prayer for Buster and his owners Mike and Barbara. Good old Buster had surgery to remove a tumor on his side this morning and will spend the night tonight at the animal hospital. He stopped by this morning to see me on his way there. But I am sure he could use it, and I know they would appreciate it. Hopefully he will be going home tomorrow.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Of rolling my fat self over the hump………

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Just when I thought the world was getting back to normal, I awoke to all this rain. It is December, and though I am from just a couple of hours north of where I currently live, there is SNOW there and there has been for most of November and December. Sure, rain is easier to shovel and a lot easier to drive in, but I really do think it should snow in December, not rain.

Of course if the Lord really was interested in my opinion my beloved Chicago Bears would be doing a lot better, so I guess I should just accept it and carry an umbrella instead of gloves and a hat. It’s not the first thing in my life I had trouble understanding, and I am certain it will not be the last. I am just glad I am not a kid anymore……this whole thing would make backyard/neighborhood ice rinks a little hard to maintain!

Today, overall, has been a good day. I got a lot accomplished, including a visit to my regular doctor. He is a great guy and a real Godsend to me through all I have gone through. No big changes for me other than an adjustment in some medications. The good news is that I look to have survived and am good for another 100,000 miles. Amanda and the kids will just need to save for a vacation…..there will be no inheritance!!

Oh I kid, I kid…. I am just happy to say I feel like I am on the other side of all of this, and that I only anticipate getting stronger. My weight is back up, but tonight is the end of it…..I am going back down. And we are getting rid of the gym in our garage and have decided to park, get this, cars there. Imagine that! So I will be finding a gym close to the house to visit soon.

Time has been good to me, and the Lord has blessed me deeply. I will not take that for granted. I am committed to living a long and healthy life, and hope to be a burden to all three kids someday. But for now I will just enjoy life and live it day by day.

Off to bed early for me tonight. I hope and pray your day has been every bit as blessed as mine.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Neither rain nor snow, nor even fog……….

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I woke up this morning to the joy of an unexpected snow! Being a product of the snow-belt, there is nothing better than for me to look out upon a blanket of snow, particularly when I had no idea it was coming. AND, it was a lot of snow for here….probably about 2-3 inches when we left, and it was still snowing hard. We even turned back around and took our bigger car because none of the roads we were on had been plowed and it was pretty treacherous.

This put us behind in terms of our arrival time in Nashville, so I called ahead to Deacon Conley and let him know what was happening. Oddly enough Dan said it was nice there….35 degrees and just raining, no snow at all. And in time we found that to be true. As we got into Indy and made our way around, little by little the snow disappeared, and son it was not there at all. When we left for Greenfield after the service in Nashville, we found it much the same all the way there….no snow, just rain and grass!

We stopped at Deacon Morgan’s on the way home in Anderson, and there was snow there. PT said it took him an hour to get from his house to Noblesville this morning, so that affirmed that all the weather adventures we had today were not a dream. And, there is still snow here at our home, though not as much as when we left. All the yards are covered but the streets and drives melted as the snow became rain later in the day. We had made the full weather gamut.

As difficult as it was in the morning, it turned out to be a pretty interesting experience. November 30th was experienced by people just a few miles apart as a very different day. There are kids here in the field behind my house building snowmen. In Nashville you could have mowed your yard. We got to experience it all.

Anyway, nothing theological there, other than the Lord making me head to work so that I didn’t have to shovel my driveway. I suppose that is a blessing, but then again I love doing it. It has just been a fun day, a good day, and the weather made it like going through Winter, Fall, and Winter again all the same day…..and there’s nothing boring about that!

Well I hope and pray wherever you are reading this that you have had a great day and many blessings. There’s no telling what tomorrow might bring. And after today, I honestly wouldn’t even want to speculate.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+