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| Morning sunrise |
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| clouds after sunrise |
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| Snow has first started here |
I don't think I've ever had quiet a day like this, rather a MORNING like this. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning, with reds in the sky. Then a little while later the sky was blue with puffy white (and a tad bit of grey) clouds.
Though I had heard Nashville had gotten snow and Lexington, KY too, there had been no predictions for us... at least not from what I read on my trusty weather reports.
But, lo and behold, dark skies filled the horizon over the mountains behind our house. Then, a white fog filled the sky. Then, snow?!?! At first it came down and tapered off. Then it came back with a vengeance. It was falling hard and fast. Beautiful big flakes.
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| What the deck looked like before we left the house |
I had planned to take my daughter Charlotte to taekwondo and her Dad (Riley) would pick her up. I was going to meet with a mission team that had been to Kenya recently and was going to facilitate their debriefing time.
So, Charlotte and I got in the car and headed down the snowy driveway, driving slowly out of the neighborhood. I slid only a little at the bottom of the hill.
The curvy and hilly roads weren't too bad, but the snow was coming down still hard and fast. Car tracks on the road were freezing quickly.
One of the team members called me to see if I was on the road and had been surprised as I was that this snow seemed to have come out of nowhere. She was going to call someone else on the team. I made my way onward to taekwondo. When she called back to tell me the meeting was called off and to get home, I decided to go by the church where Riley was working with some guys to put furniture in the nursery. His car isn't as good as mine on the road in bad weather.
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| Hixson Pike near the golf course (taken by Charlotte) |
Charlotte and I saw him pull out before we pulled in and she got him on the phone, so we followed him home. The roads were decent, but I saw folks fish-tailing (sliding their back sides) here and there. I kept a good distance from other cars.
When we got to the top of the hill nearest our turn off to get home, I saw Riley's car sliding slowly down the road. I decided to pull off into the neighborhood on the left and wait it out. No sense in us both sliding down or me hitting him, etc.
It was odd to watch his car struggling down the hill. I told Charlotte we would pray and then called someone to pray as well. Charlotte was overcome by seeing her dad's car sliding down the hill and it scared her. Riley called us a few minutes later to tell us to stay off the tracks as they were frozen and icy, but to come down slowly on the snow. He also mentioned that no one was trying to come up, so down I went. Charlotte called the prayer person back to say thank you.
As we neared the bottom, I reassured Charlotte that the worst that would have happened to her dad was that his car would be in the ditch and he would have frozen buns. She laughed at that.
Getting into our hilly and curvy neighborhood was a slippery challenge too, but we both made it successfully and fairly easily.
It was definitely an adventure. Charlotte was glad to see her dad.
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| What our front yard looked like when we got home. |
As I reflected back on the scene of watching my husband's car going down the hill and knowing there was nothing I could do to help him, I thought about how in life there are times that we have friends going downhill and there is nothing we can do for them but pray and get others to pray. There is a time and a place to go down the hill with them and to go down after them, but we need to be in a place where we can actually help. If we end up in the ditch next to them or on top of them, we are unable to help.
Sometimes the person "going downhill" isn't going in a sense of choosing a bad route, but struggling with a physical illness or an emotional tough time. We can be by the person in times like this, but we still must be at a place where we can help. We must be taking care of ourselves so that we are truly able to help. Taking care of ourselves means making sure that we are in a healthy place to reach out, spiritually, physically, emotionally, otherwise. That we're not over-extended, etc. This is a learning process.
I want to help others. I want to be a guide through the wilderness. So, I offer the Light that I've been given. I offer a listening ear and a helping hand. But, I can do no more than someone is willing to let me. Nor can I put myself in a situation that won't be helpful ultimately to them. I have been learning over the years to give from a healthy place, to take care of myself so that I can give from what I receive from my learning and growing.
When the situation is such that it is someone choosing a harmful path for themselves, it is difficult to watch them precariously slipping down that dangerous and difficulty path. But, I think that's okay. I don't think I need to turn my back on them for that choice. For me, it strengthens my prayer muscles. For the most part, unless I feel led otherwise, I will leave the door open and hope that the Light that shines through that open door will at least show acceptance and love and hope to those who may need it.
I have been on my own difficult and dangerous paths. There have been folks wondering likely if I would get too close to the fire, so to speak, to be burned. And, I did. And, I may again one day. I hope to not make the same mistakes, but I will likely make others. But, there are others ahead of me on the journey to whom I look to for the Light that shines through them. And, there are those on the journey with me too. So, hopefully I will be able to make this second half of the journey without too many wipeouts.
Blessings on your bizarre weather days and may you have Light that shines brightly for your journey!
Debra
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| back patio |
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| holly bushes |
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| look closely for the spider web "jewelry"; like a necklace chain |
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