Just before dawn

A preacher once reminded me that God always begins a new thing in the dark. He used midnight as an example.

“The darkest moment of the night is the beginning of a brand new day,” he preached.

My thoughts are there because it’s nightfall and there’s ten thousand feet of snow outside my window! Ok…ten thousand feet is a slight exaggeration but the limitations that the accumulated snow has put on my mobility is real. With a lengthy list of things to do before tomorrow comes, I am far from stir crazy but I am often pulled to sift “mortal metaphors” from such occurrences.

The forecast predicted a winter storm for Chicago, followed by a blizzard ( I had to research the difference between a storm and a blizzard because it looks like a blizzard already). In other words, in addition to the snow that has fallen nonstop today, more snow will fall, the wind will blow at about 45 mph resulting in a “white out” that will hinder visibility causing havoc on road conditions and mobility in a vehicle or on foot.

Being in the midst of this winter wonderland is a blessing (don’t look at the screen like that…hear me out first). I can see the snow, pick it up, eat it, make a snowball, shovel it or fall down in it, if I choose to. I am blessed to be able to do those things whether i do or not. I can feel the cold air on my skin and then run inside my warm apartment to thaw out. I can eat and watch television as I watch the bottom of the screen to see if city government will close schools tomorrow (fingers crossed!).

So though the weather is beautifully dreadful, it forces me to sit still and reflect on not only how blessed I am, but how temporary this condition is. It’s February people! Yes, we may get more snow next month (don’t act brand new…you’ve either lived here all your life or you knew what it was before you moved here) but seasons inevitably change. This blizzard will soon be a memory…it will consume a mere line on a list of conditions you’ve survived. The caveat is that you have to hang on now, to add it to the list later. I’ve been told that when you can’t hold on, hang on…either way, don’t let go.

Sooner than you think, the smell of Spring will fill the air.  Anticipate it. Expect it. When the storm is at its worst, just know that it is time to look forward to your new season, your new day, your new beginning. #newmercy #newgrace