TODAY THE WORD IS NOR’EASTER

 

TODAY THE WORD IS NOR’EASTER. I have seen a lot of social media posts of different friends having gone to the mountains for a vacation begging for snow and then I have seen pictures of some sign of small flaking and they are ecstatic about those flakes. It brought me to thinking about my childhood memories of some “true snow storms” in Chicago. We moved there in early 50’s when I was a small child. Trust me, we southerners have not seen snow, blizzards, ice storms in our area. We get excited on what northerners mock as a good winter day. We lived several blocks and I am not talking about two or three; I am talking about a mega trek to school. No, we didn’t walk 5 or 10 miles; it was treacherous in the least. I am sure some of you have traveled to the north and if you have ever been privy to a Nor’Easter, you already know what I am talking about. The wind feels as if it can cut you in two. At the time when we went to school, they didn’t close the schools but for a few times and we walked in the snow. I will share how we learned to walk in the snow and make headway. If they had cleared the sidewalks it really helped but if the sidewalks were still snow capped, the first “adventurers” paved the way by lifting their foot and smashing the snow down and moving forward one step at a time. We followed by making sure we stepped in their tracks and down the streets we went. The more we stepped into the same tracks the bigger the tracks got and we could move faster. We covered as much of our faces as we could with scarves, hats, and ear muffs. Mittens or gloves were a must. We knew it was cold; we shivered but we kept moving. I remember being happy when we made it to the school and found the old radiator heaters along the walls and standing as close as we could without touching them. Oh the toasty heat and finally the drying process worked. I am not making light of our Southern friends who are excited about the “snow” they are seeing. If someone is not used to it, a thrill goes through the body. For all of us who had to literally walk to school in the snow and in the rain; a chill runs through our bodies. Now for the deeper thought……we get “snowed” in life and it is hard to move. We are cold and scared. We don’t know if we can keep moving with all we are having to deal with. Remember it is easier to step in someone else’s tracks so listen when others who have already been through the same “tracks” of life and have managed with the help of God to overcome and move forward. We can learn from experience and if we listen to how survivors of life managed; the Nor’Easters of life become easier to take one step at a time.

Bundle up, prepare for the hard difficult treks, and walk in God’s steps as He has paved the way.