Today while my son and I were eating dinner, a fox walked across the end of the frozen lake! And I had just been taking pictures of the sunset, so my camera was handy. (Though I didn’t reach it as quickly as I would have liked.) That was a treat to get to see.
Yes, I’m back to work. However, today was my late shift, 12:30 to 9:00. On those days, I like to go for a walk before work. And today there was still snow!
I wondered if I should really go for a walk, since I wouldn’t be able to take a nap to recover. Wading through deep, deep snow is exhausting!
But when it came down to it, the sun was shining brightly, and I couldn’t resist. The snow won’t last forever. Yesterday, a lot of melting happened, and now the snow has rounded bumps all over. Last night, there was a hard freeze, though, so I was a little worried about ice on the sidewalks.
Well, I was able to keep from slipping on the sidewalks. But when I got to the snow, I found a wonderful side effect of the freeze last night — Now I could walk on top of the snow!
This picture shows the difference in the amount my feet sank into the snow on Tuesday on the left and today (Thursday) on the right.
Amazing how much less work it was to walk on the snow today! And it’s still tremendously beautiful.
I’ve gotten 2 and 3/4 days off because of our blizzard. Plus the two days of the weekend.
I had hoped to do a Blizzard Blog Blitz and get a lot of reviews posted while I had the time off. As it was, I did get some house-cleaning done. But yesterday, going for a walk in the snow so wiped me out, I ended up napping and the day was eaten up.
So my choice today: Go for another walk in the snow, or stay inside and get things done?
But I got to thinking: I couldn’t pay enough to get a vacation where I’d get to have long walks in deep snow each day, followed by a nap and reading by a fire. On top of that, add in no need to drive! And games with my son.
I knew I’d have to go back to work soon enough. (Tomorrow, as it happens.) I chose to seize the opportunity to go out and walk in just about the deepest snow I’ve ever experienced. (In 2010, it was probably deeper, but I didn’t have such a nice place to walk — and I also didn’t have a garage, so spent all my energy digging my car out.)
And, Wow! How blessed I was to have that experience! I will remember this morning forever. Just a treat.
Today I got to walk through 2-foot deep snow where no one had been before me.
There’s something magical about the ordinary world completely covered with snow.
Okay, I am REALLY loving this blizzard we’re having. I’m cozy and safe and warm and enjoying the show. That is all.
I’m thankful for this one every year. But this is the latest our first snow has come since I moved away from California!
It’s almost sure not to stick, and is just coming down lightly — so I’m very thankful it is falling on Sunday afternoon, when I can take the time to walk through it while it’s falling. It would have been sad to just stare at it out the window from my workplace!
Last weekend I got to go to ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston!e
The first $500 toward the cost was paid by a scholarship from the Friends of George Mason Regional Library for staff to go to training. I’m very grateful!
At the conference I learned lots of things, met fascinating authors, got to attend the Youth Media Awards, and sent home 101 books!
I was so blessed to be able to go!
WOO-HOO!!! Happy Dance!!! I just sent my math-related children’s book manuscript to the editor who requested it!
This does not mean she’ll accept it for publication.
It does mean that I finished it, and it’s in good shape!
And I’m very happy!
Today an editor from a reputable publishing company asked to look at my math-related children’s nonfiction manuscript! I know that doesn’t mean she’ll accept it for publication, but it’s a solicited manuscript! I’m so excited!
29 years ago today, I married my best friend.
10 years ago today, I tried to leave my husband an anniversary gift. He did not accept it and left a note that he had contacted a lawyer and filed for divorce.
In between those dates, we had two wonderful children who have grown to be fine adults. I experienced deep love and harmonious companionship. We became adults together. Because of that marriage, I got to live in Europe. Because of that marriage, I got my first job in a library.
In recent years on this day, I’ve thought about all I have to be thankful for about that marriage. There was very much indeed.
Today? I’m ready to move on, to celebrate the new beginnings that a wedding day represents.
And I want to celebrate the many things I have to be thankful for about the divorce.
If that friend no longer wants to be a friend to me, if he no longer wants to walk through life with me and no longer wants to have anything to do with God — I’m actually thankful that I get to choose a different path. (I tried so very hard to stay on the original path, but that was taken out of my hands. In the end, it’s something to be thankful for.)
And the biggest thing I have to be thankful for? God has been faithful. I have learned new depths of the deep, deep love of Jesus.
So — I am going to celebrate the anniversary of my first wedding day by going over the hymns we had the congregation sing. We had lots of music at our wedding. Now, what I remember most are the hymns we chose. In many, many ways, singing those hymns declared my intention for my life course as a young adult. Now I declare them again as my life intentions.
First, Be Thou My Vision:
Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art–
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Amen.
And whatever befall, God has been faithful.
And His love is amazing. Next, O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus:
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me,
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love;
Leading onward, leading homeward
To my glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore;
How He watches o’er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o’er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Love of every love the best;
‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
‘Tis a haven sweet of rest,
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee.
There’s a tension in thinking about my marriage. When I think about how good some times were, I get sad that they didn’t last. When I try to get rid of the sadness by thinking about how horribly it ended, I get angry for how I was treated.
What can I count on in the present? God’s love.
When I sang this third hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be, I meant every word. I still do:
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days —
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold —
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine —
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart — it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love — my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself — and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
On my wedding day, I offered my heart both to my husband and to God. Can I really complain that God took me up on that offer?
He is faithful. He will continue to walk with me.
O, the deep, deep love of Jesus.