Welcome! Wow! How pretty was the snow once we survived last week’s storm? I walked as it started to snow. Walking in the snow makes you appreciate that it’s good to embrace bad weather. It really is. I mean, I don’t walk on the roads when it’s dangerous. I want to consider drivers. I’ve been on both sides of the coin, thinking, “Watch out, pal, I’m walking,” and “Get off the road, lady! Can’t you see how bad it is outside?” Ah, irony.
But there’s something about walking in bad weather, be it steady rain—warm or cold—snow, or cold wind that makes me feel tough. It’s a reminder that when you don’t give up, you achieve your goals.
It’s important to have goals. My brother always says you need to have something to look forward to. I agree. You need to have a reason to get out of bed every day, and not just because your body alerts you. I’ll leave that reason to your imagination.
But seriously, we need to always have something going on that motivates us. It can be as simple as feeding your pet or shoveling your sidewalk, taking a loved one for a checkup or baking Christmas cookies for your neighbor.
So, while we’re talking about what we have to look forward to, what are you looking forward to on Christmas? Seeing loved ones? Pies? Cinnamon rolls? Giving or receiving a special gift? I’m looking forward to a happy day. Just a happy day. Gifts don’t excite me anymore. As I wrote last week, it’s relationships, not things or activities, that make life worth living.
Some crucial relationships aren’t even with our dearest loved ones. They’re with casual friends. My goodness, I’ve had experiences on walks that really drove this home, like the time God sent one of my dad’s best friends while a raccoon, that I’m sure was rabid, ran straight at me in broad daylight.
Then there was the time a friend and neighbor just happened along as I walked through a thunderstorm and gave me a ride. Coincidences? Nope. I don’t believe in coincidences, accidents, lucky mistakes, or any of that nonsense. I believe God sent those people exactly when I needed them, and they were, in their own way, my guardian angels.
Now, I believe in Biblical angels, too, of course. Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus, after all. But I believe God assigns specific angels to us, too. I once outmaneuvered a man who pulled out right in front of me on a tractor at the crest of a hill on Route 19. Somehow, I managed to avoid hitting him and a telephone pole when I swerved. I don’t think I was actually steering; I think an angel took over.
I may have actually seen an angel in disguise once. My late Grandma Louden and I were in a terrible car accident in 1990. We were broadsided on the driver’s side. She suffered terrible injuries. I had whiplash and a tiny cut on my finger. That’s it.
She had a serious head wound, and was bleeding profusely. A stout, dark-haired, balding man in a sunshine-yellow t-shirt and dark jeans ran up to the car and pressed a snow-white linen handkerchief to Grandma’s head. When the paramedics examined Grandma, they saw blood and glass in her hair, but no cut. Mom, who was following us to Perkins when we were hit, also saw the man in the yellow t-shirt. How could Grandma have blood and glass all through her hair, but no cut?
We’ve always believed The Man in the Yellow Shirt, as we call him, was an angel. That’s the most dramatic instance of an angel appearing in my life, and I’m glad God helped us understand it was Divine intervention.
My point? Keep your eyes open. Watch for miracles. They’re all around you. Merry Christmas, and I wish you all God’s blessings!