Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful~

But God's Love is so delightful~

So, since our plans
for this night were cancelled...
let it snow,
let it snow,
let it snow!

In reality it is not supposed to snow
as much as ice tonight,
but I am thankful for
passable roads today as one of
our boys had to have some emergency
medical tests run.

He is fine.

Praise the Lord!

But we were scared.

Don't ask for details
because I have been sworn
mum...but still...

we are very thankful for
the outcome and that
we had no trouble getting
to and fro!

Mom was smart and delayed
an attempted return from
South Carolina from today
until tomorrow.

I am thoroughly exhausted and
will just vegetate tonight...
as much as is possible
in this house!

So Thankful!

Yesterday afternoon the phone rang.
My Mom was on the other end.
She sounded a bit strained.

Mom was up in Centre County with
my brother and his wife for the
weekend and while driving back to
their home yesterday from
church and lunch they were in
an accident.

I know how badly the winds blew
here yesterday and I guess they were
at least that bad up there because
Mom reported that the white out
conditions reminded her of the
blizzards that she remembers from
the time we lived in Nebraska.
I was a toddler and remember very little
of our time there.

Because of the white out conditions that
happened so quickly Allan had slowed way
down and was concentrating on staying on the road
when they, in their pickup truck, passed
a semi in which Mom and Bev noticed the driver
frantically gesturing to get their attention.

Next thing Allan knew there was a car parked in the
road not 50 feet ahead of him. There was not time
to get completely stopped so he whipped the wheel to
the left and nearly made it all the way into
the oncoming lane. Thankfully there was nothing
coming at that moment.

His truck hit the car and then slid into a ditch.
The passenger side of the truck is all messed up
but everyone in both cars is fine.

The police were so busy they told everyone to
exchange information and go home. They were to
call the station when they got home.

Allan did so and was told that they were so busy
someone would call them back today.

Must have been very bad.

I am thankful that:

1. No one was physically hurt.
2. The other lane was clear...no head on crash.
3. That while Allan only had diagonally
opposite wheels touching the ground in that
ditch somehow he was able to
get out of it without the wait for a tow truck.
4. That the phone call was what it was yesterday and not what it could have been!

For our weather now...it is painfully cold out there. The chihuahua did not go far this morning. She has a bit of a bent toward staying out as long as she can get away with...not today!

The wind was so bad yesterday that it sounded very loud even inside the house.

We stayed in all afternoon and evening and worked on a puzzle, watched election news and then two movies, Jeremiah Johnson and Flywheel. Flywheel was the first movie produced by the church that made Facing the Giants.

If you have not seen Flywheel it is well worth the nearly two hours in length. We laughed and cried and just loved this movie.

Well, have a great day!

The heat is on...

Nope, it's not exactly hot outside
but it is supposed to get into the
60's this week. This is crazy
...but wonderful.

I have that guilty feeling that it
is my fault....
You see, I still haven't planted all of my
Spring bulbs.

But now, if this weather is for me
and I do plant the
bulbs will it get cold?

Crazy isn't it the thoughts that
sneak into our brains?
Don't you love how we can so
quickly assume that every thing that
happens in life is about us!
Even when we know, intellectually, that this
cannot be the case.

Oh, perhaps I assume too much.
Maybe you never do that.
But then again, maybe you do it too.

If you have been reading this blog
you know that our church is going through changes.
They are not easy...
There are sooo many unknowns and we are finding
many things out about ourselves and others
that we worship with that help us to realize
that everyone comes from a different place.
We have different pictures of how we want our
new church to be.

We are in the process of refining and planning...
It is interesting, but hard at times.
I relate it to my candlemaking.

When we pour a gel candle there are naturally
occurring bubbles thoughout the gel.
Often that is what we want, such as a beverage
candle in a stem. The bubbles make it so pretty.

Occasionally, however, we do not want
bubbles in the candle.
Do you know how you get rid of the bubbles?
You set it in the oven at a low heat...
The bubbles will rise up out of the gel and it will
be crystal clear.

Our church, right now, appears to have been set
in the oven.
The bubbles (differences) are rising to the
surface where they are being dealt with
and our goals are being made clear.
We are being refined.
Not fun! But necessary if we are to begin anew
as a viable and vibrant ministry.

Are you in the refiner's oven right now?
If so, count it all joy
because it is a sign that Someone cares enough to
want you crystal clear.