Let it Snow!

Heavy snow is forecast this weekend. I say, let it snow!

With the holidays upon us hope is challenged to be a force in our lives once again. We yearn for peace and calm in our lives at least for a short while to catch our breath and finish this year of change, effort and some challenges.

Health issues certainly score high on the anxiety list for our family this year. So many taken ill and others undergoing surgery and convalescence. Still others witness the process of aging; that’s OK, but it makes for unknowns that are not always comfortable to think about. Others are having babies and filling their homes with coos and baby giggles and lots of smiles. For them the holidays will have a different significance. For the elders winsome thoughts of lost loved ones and pending goodbyes.

Social issues were big in this election year. Those issues remain important to most of us as authority over them changes hands due to the elections. Some will trust the new hands on the helm; over half will not trust the political shifts. Still others won’t trust anything having to do with government. In this season of mistrust we are nervous and tentative, wondering what will happen.

The campaign was nasty and vindictive. Divisive is too nice a term to summarize what transpired from coast to coast. Because of that incivility more vindictiveness is expected. And we worry about things we have no control over. That is natural. The political losers fear the winners and policy changes. The winners fear the losers will stand in their way to make changes. The past demonstrated such worries have basis.

So why let it snow? Because a show of Mother Nature’s power might be just what we need at this moment. A thunderous snow storm with 10 inches of snow or more; maybe 18 inches!? That would cause us to stop doing what we are doing and administer attention to removing snow from walk ways, stoops, driveways, and maybe even roofs. If the storm is long and drawn out we may have to shovel and trim the walks and drives several times to properly control the weight of the storm.

Doing storm duty will cause us to keep our minds on mundane things in need of doing. Our schedules will change; work hours will be reduced as commuting times are lengthened or offices and schools even closed. Meal times will be more important. Keeping the outdoors from the indoors will also be paramount.

We may find time to venture out and play in the snow. Rebuild that snowman from our youth. Make snow angels, too. Teach the newer generations what we did back in the old days. Reminisce of times long gone, and the people too. Memories now. Good ones. Fond ones.

As we focus on each other and our safety and happiness, we will prepare ever more for the holidays and what they mean. History tells us what the holidays were and are. But somehow we live lives that give heart and soul to the holidays of today. We make them our own. With whatever resources are at hand, we craft the meaning and wealth of the holidays. They are yours and ours. They rarely belong to one person. They are social and familial. That is a reminder that we are not alone or an island. We are social beings and the family unit is a cornerstone.

A snow storm will help us focus on what is important. It is a sign of the seasons, too. But it is so much more this year. We need this respite from routine. This year has challenged us; and the future, too, will demand much from us.  Respite will give us pause and strength.

So, let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

December 10, 2016