REVEALING OUSELVES

REVEALING OURSELVES

Crunch, crunch, crunch, the sound of  snow shoes walking on  drifts tucked between the rows of blue spruce trees guarding the hillside.Ten gallon bucket size globs of snow intermittently fall from the limb of ice laden evergreens nearly falling on our heads.Unnerving, but we hike on.   At the crest of a hill on the Ice Age Trail, visibility suddenly deteriorates. Clear, crisp blue skylines are transformed into banks of rolling misty fog.We can see barely 10 yards. Logging trails disappear from view. Fallen timbers crossing our path are hidden. We stumble, taking ever smaller steps. Hiking is reduced to a small child’s pace.

Is this one of nature’s unexpected, clever tactics?She disguises and hides her jewels from wary intruders. Trees are bent as their north side appears spray painted with wind driven wet snow.  On the forest floor, moss covered limestone rock lies hidden as it has for centuries past. Fog and snow combine to hide what is usually obvious to the naked eye.   This  artistry of mist, clouds, and fluffy  snow creates a mosaic to be joyfully explored.  Unwritten, unspoken caricatures of Nature provides a brief glimpse into the continuing wonders of the metamorphoses of creation.With delicate effort, ingenuity and prayerful patience we kneel on the wet tundra to sweep clean the snow covered moss stones sunken into the hillsides for centuries.  A parallel to our efforts to cleanse our soul.  Perhaps.

 We sometimes permit the snow and fog of our self imposed disguises to prevent others from appreciating our inner beauty. We hide behind the moss coverings of our personality. Consciously brushing aside our protective fortifications bit by bit, piece by piece, year by year, can dissipate this protective shroud and enables others to discover  whom we really are. The Lord will help us if we ask.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. let us collaborate with  Nature as a docent to discover and share our gifts.

 

 

 

 

The Value of a Single Snowflake

The singular white snowflake rides the freezing downdraft flowing from an outer branch of the elder blue spruce and settles in a mound of glistening snow bordering the frozen Fox River. Just another snow flake? One of thousands along the  meandering waterway painting the hillsides.  This tiny particle gives pause to the brown trails patiently waiting for the foreboding grey of the northern plains to turn into a slumbering white portrait which lies dormant until spring reappears.

 A speck lies unnoticed among the drifts carried by the northern winds.It’s a mere pittance of a community contributor to the seasonally changing landscape.  In due time as temperatures rise and the sun rests longer in the sky, our snow flake transforms to water,  ensuring man’s continued survival.

Closely observe the falling snowflake.  It is mother nature talking to us by subtly whispering to garner our attention.She explains that the parallels between seemingly insignificant snowflakes and our life patterns are more than a happenstance. We have an opportunity to reflect with a new awareness on the heretofore unnoticed, underappreciated snow flake.

 How often do we brush elbows with another shopper in the mall and not look into their face? We skillfully maneuver while in an elevator to avoid making eye contact with others who stand at the back. Hmm who are these people?

 Similarly, we join the ticket  line outside of Camp Randall Stadium patiently waiting to buy a ducat to see the Badgers play. Our heads look downward. We shuffle our freezing feet, look aimlessly at the stadium but avoid making small talk with those in front or behind us.  Why?  We treat strangers as we do the snow flake – inconsequential and unimportant. Such a heartless error on our part.  We are all put here on earth with the purpose of collaborating with each other to make the world a better place.

Like the melting snowflake, we are all essential to God’s plan All of us are expected to contribute  to the well being andwelfare of  others through small acts of kindness. Without other flakes, the snow flake lands on the barren ground and instantly disappears. Mutual dependency is essential to continued existence.  When caring for each other we create and enhance societal values and visions. We continue to exist.

 Nature has so much to teach us… if we pause, listen, and learn from our fellow soul mates.

THE REVENGE OF THE TORO SNOWBLOWER

Nature is soo clever … makes you want to laugh
Simultaneously subtle and clever
She sends messages that reverberate for days and days

Pridefully cranking up the Toro snow blower after 2 years
Of on again, off again performance,
I followed this gem of an invention down the driveway
Snow funneling out the chute at warp speed
Proud as a 12 year old with a new toy

WHAM ! IN MY FACE: A CLOUD OF COLD ICY SNOW
Smashed into me like a gallon of frozen ice water
Shivering, shaking, cussing the snow off my eyes
Where did that wake up call come from?
What was the message?

IN YOUR FACE!!
Here on the Great Plains it is a humbling wake up call
Don’t be proud and haughty – be considerate and measured.

In a business sense – a verbal finger pointing – interpreted
as a direct put down-a challenge
Feels t like a gallon of frozen ice water dumped on your adversary’s face.

Be wary when the shock of the cold H2O wears off
There is retribution –exponentially greater, more severe to come
Another message from Mother Nature – dissing someone
Can result in serious negative backlash: physically and verbally
By comparison, challenging your contemporaries with civility has its rewards
For the sender and receiver……

Mother nature’s wake up call also communicated the
Value of directly facing cold, hard facts.

Having analyzed the wind direction in advance , I could have easily minimized the
Amount of snow crashing into me.

And so it is with “ In Your Face” strategies: Taking time to hesitate, maneuver,
And then deliver our message with more tact, understanding, and love as opposed to
direct unbending confrontation helps us to avoid the predictable negative backlash
Isn’t nature astounding – she gets our attention – one way or the other.