Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Believe it or not, this northern part of the country has only had snow (real snow) for about two weeks now. At this time, when we walk up the path to our door, the snow wall is just over three feet deep. This amount of snow, however, came in a 36 hour period - all at once. It was a tremendous storm.


No one in this area is afraid of snow - it is a part of our life for at least 8 months of the year, usually. On the days of the storm, the emergency personnel were telling everyone to stay home. "Don't bother getting into your car, you can't get anywhere." They weren't kidding. I had worked the night shift and walked home in the snow. Thankfully, the plows had cleared the sidewalks most of the way home, but there were very large drifts to climb over at some points. Some people had ignored the warning to stay home (being good northerners!), and several cars were simply abandoned in the streets where they couldn't move any further. The greatest challenge for pedestrians was the oncoming street plows spraying a wall of snow over your head!


Without worry, but not without heavy breathing, I made it home. The walk that usually takes 20-25 minutes took almost 1 and 1/2 hours! An experience, for sure.


Later in the week, with a few more flurries adding to our snow pile, I had to run some errands in town. Fortunately, we have good snow tires on our car and have been manuevering in the snow covered streets/hills well. When I left that day, I noticed that our hill was quite slushy and messy and I slid to a stop at the bottom the hill. All I could think was, "There is no way I am getting back into my driveway." With a shrug of my shoulders I said an 'off-the-cuff' comment to the Lord, "It would nice if the plow and sander came through while I'm out."


Shopping completed, not a plow seen in the entire town, I decided to take a round-about approach to home. One of the hills that runs perpendicular to our hill is much more travelled, therefore the slush and snow is cleared quicker. I decided if I climbed this hill and travelled around the block, I could approach my turn with more acceleration and hopefully get up to the driveway. As I travelled up the main street hill, I passed my street and looked up the hill - slushy and messy, no plowing done. Hope was failing.


I came around the corner and headed down the street that would bring me back to my corner. My hopes of sneaking up the hill with some extra speed came crashing down - oncoming traffic and pedestrians were everywhere - meaning I would have to come to a dead stop before I took the turn and try to make the hill. Hopeless.


Then, truly a gift from God, ten feet before I reached my turn, a plow and sander drove up my hill and cleared the way. My mouth dropped open. You must realize that this makes absolutely no sense. Our road is generally the last to be cleared and sanded. There had been main streets that were still waiting to be cleared.


Just when I think the small stuff in my life isn't important enough to lay at the Lord's feet, He hears my 'off-the-cuff' desire. Then proves, again, that He is listening.