The drought, it seems, is coming to an end. Our weather reporters are predicting that some time this afternoon we will be hit with a storm that could drop as much as a foot of snow. In preparation, we have been asked to watch the grandchildren so our son-in-law can go out plowing in the middle of the night. Chances are fairly good that school will be cancelled tomorrow, so they will probably be with us all day. I was looking forward to a friend coming to stay with me for two days and we had a list of fun things to do together. That has been postponed.
Having to rework schedules because of the weather is a Minnesota sport. We like to gripe and grumble about it. Griping and grumbling adds pizzazz to the story. It deepens our anxiety which justifies our testiness. But then, the falling snow creates the familiar white blanket over the land and a wonderland appears as the snow lays on and around tree branches and twigs. Silence replaces our grumbles and we sink down into our cozy couches and take in the warmth and the soft hum of a lullaby in our hearts.
As I walked out into this grey morning I noticed that the trees and the grasses were excited. The birds were already hunkering down. Their weather reporting system is far superior to ours. They have already stocked up on milk and canned goods. Human Minnesotans have been pretty self-centered these last few months as we’ve been able to go where we want, when we want. We’ve thanked God for this preferential treatment. But God is a God of all – even the trees that grow out of the earth and birds that reside in their branches have their day.