Will Spring Ever Come?
My view from the Chicago sun porch early this morning was a lake frozen much further out than I remember in my 10 winters here. At the far eastern edge, where the sky meets the water, there was a narrow royal blue ribbon of water. That was all. The rest was snow-covered ice. Now, mid-afternoon, there are scattered pools of blue--a sign that, indeed, today's temperature finally moved above freezing. Cars that still look to be stuck in unplowed ruts will soon be freed. The dogs walking by with their people do not have their paws in little boots. They look friskier today. And the sun peers through the overcast sky. Tonight is to bring a "freezing mix" and lower temperatures again, but it will not dive so deeply. Perhaps not until next winter.
This has truly seemed to be the longest winter ever. Probably because there has not been a time in months that the ground was not covered in snow. More like winters I remember when I was a kid. It reminds me of a favorite Christmas hymn, "In the Bleak Mid Winter." "Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow..." That's exactly how it has been. Which is really difficult when you live most of the time in a town of steep hills! It is exhausting. Always wondering and worrying if you'll be able to get out, navigate the roadways, find a clear place to park. When will the snow plow arrive? Will the car make it up the hill? Will I get back home to feed the cat?
The exhaustion of navigating the weather has combined with extreme business these past two + months since I last wrote. The two weeks at the seminary in January included in the several long trips back and forth to Chicago, and many things going on at church. All good--though it would be nice if they were spread out a bit more. But they seem to be things that are converging at this particular time that need to be attended to because they are interrelated and will, perhaps, be transforming. At least that is my hope and dream. Sadly, they have left me without the energy to record some of the highlights here. Let alone reflect on them in writing. Too bad. I shall try harder--maybe that will be part of my Lenten discipline. Like the ice on the lake, I will unfreeze, breathe, and capture the wonder of these days!
This has truly seemed to be the longest winter ever. Probably because there has not been a time in months that the ground was not covered in snow. More like winters I remember when I was a kid. It reminds me of a favorite Christmas hymn, "In the Bleak Mid Winter." "Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow..." That's exactly how it has been. Which is really difficult when you live most of the time in a town of steep hills! It is exhausting. Always wondering and worrying if you'll be able to get out, navigate the roadways, find a clear place to park. When will the snow plow arrive? Will the car make it up the hill? Will I get back home to feed the cat?
The exhaustion of navigating the weather has combined with extreme business these past two + months since I last wrote. The two weeks at the seminary in January included in the several long trips back and forth to Chicago, and many things going on at church. All good--though it would be nice if they were spread out a bit more. But they seem to be things that are converging at this particular time that need to be attended to because they are interrelated and will, perhaps, be transforming. At least that is my hope and dream. Sadly, they have left me without the energy to record some of the highlights here. Let alone reflect on them in writing. Too bad. I shall try harder--maybe that will be part of my Lenten discipline. Like the ice on the lake, I will unfreeze, breathe, and capture the wonder of these days!
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