Snow Angels

Remembering back to my first winter as a widow, 5 years ago:

Snowy bushesAs we watched a picture-perfect snowstorm out the window today, I was reminded of the snow-related care Nate put into action for our family. Before our teenage kids would drive away in a storm, he’d always check to be sure they had a snow scraper/brush in their cars, often brushing them off before they got out there. He would always clean my car off, and if his schedule allowed, would volunteer to drive me wherever I needed to go, if a storm was in progress.

Our extra-long driveway was a bear to shovel, but he did more than his share, and if he was short on time, he’d still shovel a path to each car door. He was faithful to check the windshield wiper fluid in the cars and to add more if needed.

We began thinking about buying a snow blower after shoveling that long driveway for 15 years. When a neighbor died and his widow offered to sell us his blower, Nate took her up on it. “But,” she said, “I’ll need someone to clear my driveway, too.”

That winter Nate began blowing snow off her driveway after every storm. He always did hers before ours, sometimes in his business suit and dress coat in the pre-dawn hours of a frigid weekday morning. Often he’d get hers finished but didn’t have time for ours, slipping and sliding away in his sedan on a rush to the commuter train.

I often think of Nate’s willingness to help this widow. Despite the major inconvenience of keeping her driveway clear, he never once complained about doing it. Since our neighbor had no one else to help her, he felt it was his duty to do so. The Bible says a great deal about widows, and God makes it clear he’s pleased with those who help them.

God was watching Nate blow the equivalent of mountains of snow off our friend’s driveway over the years, but I don’t believe Nate was ever aware of divine approval on those icy mornings. He was simply doing the right thing, which of course is often the hard thing.

Snow-pro neighborNow I find I’m the widow needing help. When the first big snowfall arrived, I was rummaging around in the basement for a snow shovel when I heard the delightful roar of a snow blower. Running upstairs, I saw our next-door-neighbor Bob, pink-cheeked and dodging clouds of flying snow, clearing off the driveway. When I ran outside to express my enthusiasm, he smiled and said, “Well, those of us with blowers should help those who don’t have them.”

I’ll never forget the rush of feelings that came to me then. I flashed back to Nate’s faithful work on our neighbor’s driveway, coupled with deep gratitude for my current neighbor and his cheerful willingness to help the widow next door.

”Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who… do what is right… Those who refuse to… harm their neighbors… and those who keep their promises, even when it hurts.” (Psalm 15:1-4, TLB)

 

Clumsy

January 1st is a great time to begin again. All of us are good at pretending we have a clean slate then, and we love the idea of a fresh start. I determined to begin 2015 right, so in the first hour of the first day I grabbed my prayer clipboard and a new pen. Affixing a stack of notebook paper to it, I sat down to begin writing out a prayer.

OopsAs I plopped onto the couch cushion, however, my mug of coffee bounced and sent its contents up and over, onto the paper, clipboard, and couch, doing away with my clean slate before I even began.

I couldn’t believe I’d been that clumsy right off the bat, spoiling an otherwise perfect moment. But that’s the way life goes. Though I may be clumsier than most, all of us make messes now and again.

Sometimes I wonder about my Christian life, whether or not I’m stumbling through that like a bull in a china shop. Do I handle God’s Word with the utmost of care? Do I take him for granted when life is going well? Do I engage in prayer only when things go wrong? Am I quick to blame him for messes that are my fault?

I know he’s very forgiving of my many blunders and doesn’t hold it against me when I make innocent mistakes. But do I have a teachable heart that learns from them and determines to do better next time? And am I careful about what I believe?

Once my coffee-soaked papers had dried, I decided to use them anyway, as an object lesson, hoping they’d remind me to be careful with my faith and faithful to take care.

“Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.” (Psalm 18:12)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Thank you for praying for little Anders. He had a crisis with his heart last night that was averted with quick, expert care. Pray for stability and increasing weight gain with each new day.

One More from Melanie

In this season of giving, we’ve peeked in on how someone else does it, providing some fresh oomph for all of us to pass along whatever kindnesses we can. Melanie reported, after her birthday was over, that next year she’ll tweak her system to make it more efficient. After all, the number of kindnesses will only grow as the candles on her cake increase. Here’s what she wrote in an email:

At the end of the day I was pretty worn out…next year I’ll have to start giving myself a week to accomplish my list, because it’s not going to get any easier to get through it.  

Kindness..Many of the things were actually just a matter of getting around to my good intentions…notes I meant to write or thank-you’s I meant to say long ago but hadn’t accomplished. It felt good to just hunker down and be intentional (which is the opposite of random, I know) about making sure certain people were feeling loved and appreciated. I learned that it really doesn’t take much time at all, with a little planning, to brighten someone’s day who really needs it.

A few more things I learned… 

Kindness participantKindness starts at home. There are a gazillion things I do that all of us moms and wives do to serve our families, but I’m learning that there’s a big difference in the way I go about it when I have the mindset of, “How can I bless them?” I noticed an absence of resentment and an all-around better attitude when I thought to myself, “I can get this for him,” or “She would like it if…” Thanks, Lord, for the heart change! 

Along those lines, as this becomes a birthday tradition, I may make arrangements so the kids aren’t with me the _whole_ time I’m running around town. It may get easier as they get older, but this year I heard a lot of whining about getting in and out of the car, and it really amounted to a long day with lots of driving around for them. 

I also learned that I’m really awkward when I’m talking to random people. But the look of surprise when they learn they’re getting a free coffee is worth it.

Kindness....And I want to be sure to bless people who don’t get many thank-you’s, like those serving at school or church or cleaning public restrooms.  

And most importantly, I want to make the day less about “random,” which is a little too much about me and “how nice I am.” Instead I want to more purposefully share the love of Christ, because without him, I’m rotten and selfish.

And lastly, I confirmed that I have the most patient, indulgent husband. He drove around in rush hour traffic for me and never complained.  

All in all, best birthday ever. Tradition established. 

Love, Mel

“Remember this…. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”                    (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Praising and praying with Mary

I’m praising God for an early Christmas gift: my feeding tube came out today! Thank you so much for the faithful praying all of you did about this!