At an engagement party, the guests were comparing which city in Upstate New York had the most snow for the winter. Buffalo has a slight lead with 85.9 compared to Rochester’s 85.3 inches. However, Syracuse has been hammered with 123 inches. Despite our whining, and after the Superbowl frenzy, I thought I share this wonderful story about melting snow.Ice clung to the branches of the trees as Kay and Michael sat together in the park in the center of town. They would have been considered oddities, sitting on a frozen park bench in the dead of winter, had the town not simply become used to the seeing them each evening around six, quietly holding hands in the town square.
No one questioned their behavior, or snickered, or sneered sarcastically at the sight of the oddity. Eccentricities were simply accepted in the small town in Northern Michigan. People lived in each others' pockets, as they say.
Kay and Michael, bundled up with winter coats, sitting in front of an icy statue of the town's founder, were dreaming. Michael knowingly gave Kay's hand a squeeze. He loved her. She squeezed back. The snow slowly fell before them.
Kay was remembering. So was Michael. Now in their early-sixties, they recalled their life together. With a knowing squeeze of the other's hand, both of them traveled back to another time, when love was on the ocean breeze. It was in the ocean air that they breathed every morning while they were on their honeymoon.
Michael took a deep breath through his nose, smelling the ocean air. He closed his eyes and smiled, thinking back to forty years prior. The sound of the water and the scent of the beach filled their tiny bungalow in Hawaii. He could feel her breathe.
He closed his arm around her down jacket. Michael looked at Kay. And she knew.
Hawaii was with them. The cliffs and palm trees. The beaches. The breath-taking beauty. Deep jungle, green vegetation and clear waterfalls. The warm morning rain that sometimes came in the afternoon. Walking in the deep night on the beach.
His glove touched her face.
She smiled.
With a gentle squeeze and another thought of hot sands and warm ocean water, they felt the wet snow melting on their faces.
God prays for us as we reflect: “My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. (Psalm 49:3)
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who suffer depression from the cold and lack of sunlight. Let them imagine being lifted out of the cold and taken away from the ice to a time when they could feel a gentle breeze and breath in the beauty of green vegetation and clear waterfalls. It has indeed been a harsh winter. We had been humbled by mother nature, unable to rush about in our usual way, confined to our homes, literally speechless from the power of the weather. In the silence we learn the valuable lessons of humility, patience and the overwhelming presence of God. It is God’s way of telling us to be quiet and listen. God loves you and wants you to listen because God wants the best for your lives.
