Life is filled with choices. Weather predictions have gotten a tad bit gloomy the past few days, so this morning I thought I had better pay attention when the rain began to fall. Hours passed with nothing but a very gentle rain combined with increasingly cold temps. The situation was serious, two of my daughter's have Chevy Blazers, one of the Blazers has no working transmission(recently quit on the interstate). Logic dictated that I use the good one to get the other to where help might be sought. I had no idea how many inches of snow were going to come later, but I've been out here on the Great American Desert long enough to know that if we didn't get the job done today it might be spring before another opportunity presented itself. 1 pm was the launch time for the project. The farm yard where we picked up the disabled vehicle was so slippery with ice and rain that the simple task of lining the two up for a tow job was severely hampered. Normally a couple of us would push the one out to where the chain could be attached and then off we would go. Not so today! The rain on top of the ice made the surface of the yard so slick it was laughable. When you push forward you slide backward. Finally we got the show on the road(I do mean "show" quite literally)with a distance of about 4 miles to cover to the feedmill\propane dealer\transmission fix-it shop. That's how things are out here, no specialty places, just sort of what ever came to mind that somebody could do and a space to do it in. All in all it took us until 3:30 to call the task "Done!" Tonight while the snow was still falling I removed the first 4-5 inches of heavy wet stuff(don't believe anyone who mentions "light" snow on the weather channel - when you're shoveling snow it is all heavy)with much more to do in the morning. God provided the perfect day to challenge our unique blend of abilities and gifts to get many tasks accomplished. It is most wonderful to know that God has already been preparing us and the tools and materials needed for the challenges of life before we knew they existed. The Bible tells me exactly that! I am thankful tonight for the 15 yr old grandson who gave up going to the one o'clock movie to watch the 4 year old grand daughter while the work was under way far from the house. It seemed like at every turn of the day's events we had exactly what we needed, except, of course, patience, which I ran out of early on. It was interesting to me that at times like this I fall into the patterns of learned behavior that I aquired on the farm long before I was my grandson's age. You look at what has to be done, work at the best pace the weather permits, and git 'er done! I learned that from my maternal grandfather. I give thanks for the years when I was blessed to aquire knowledge that helps me to surmount the difficulties of life. The best information I ever learned, though, had to do with how we "pray" our way through the worst and the best that life has to offer. Tonight I will sleep like a baby. Before I can slip off to slumber, though, I have to sit down and talk with God about how life goes sometimes. Mind you, I won't be complaining, just wondering out loud. Mostly I'll be giving thanks for the opportunity to be of service in some way, no matter how small, in the lives of others. It would be a poor existence, indeed, to not have folks we can offer assistance to when needed, and foks who do the same for us. Thanks be to God! Funny thing about God's provision, no matter where I've been or how hard I've worked at it I still haven't found a shovel that really "fits" me. In Christ's Love, Preacher.
