Cold Wind and Hot Coffee

His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. Matthew 28:3

As I sit here typing, I am aware that I really should be standing in the school gym with 260 students saying Morning Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance…but I’m not! I’m actually sitting here drinking coffee and typing in my sweats.  I’m not sick; it’s just another snow day in Michigan! I think it’s fair to say that we are officially trapped in the grip of an old fashioned winter!  The weatherman says that within the next 24 hours the wind chill will be near 40 below…YIKES!  The weather we’ve had this winter just changes everything and there isn’t a darn thing we can do about it.  I feel a little like shouting out to the wind and snow, “Hey…don’t you know we’re missing Penguin week in first grade? Hey…don’t you know we are trying to get the hang of long vowel sounds? Hey…don’t you know we should be diving into math fact families and prayer writing? And HEY…it’s Catholic Schools Week and you can’t celebrate it if you aren’t in school!”  But shouting those things would be as useless as shoveling the sidewalk again.

I guess there’s nothing like a big hard dose of something we can’t change to make us realize how little control we really have.  I listen to the forecast and I’m frustrated about all the things in my plans that aren’t happening.  I wonder if God ever looks down at me with the same frustration when I don’t cooperate with His plan for me.  I know my little lovelies are at home doing great things like building blanket forts, snuggling under their warm covers a little longer than usual and having great fun with their toys.  I know lots of moms who are so happy to keep their little lovelies to themselves another day because they do go from kindergarten to senior at warp speed and I won’t take that away from them but I’m not always  as good at surrendering my plans as I should be!

I think as I sit here this cold winter morning I need to take a few lessons from the wind and snow. First, bend  to the plan of God; just because I planned it, prayed over it and wrote it down doesn’t mean it’s a good plan…God’s is always better so I’d better be willing to bend and sway like the branches in the wind. Second, be grateful; my quiet day is spent inside a warm house…I’m glad I have one and I’m grateful to those amazingly strong folks like farmers, policemen, snow plow drivers and the dozens of other occupations who have to be outside.  Third, I’ve been given the gift of time…I’d better use it to read, pray and study and return to school a little closer to Him.

A Seed To Plant:  Are there things in your life you are trying to plan and manage on your own? Take a few minutes to hand those over to the Father. Also in your prayers today, remember all those who aren’t as safe and warm as you.

Blessings on your day!