The Shortest, Longest Month

I've finally figured out why February only has 28 days (or the occasional 29)...no one would survive north of I-80 if there wasn't the promise of Spring when we flip the calendar to March.

Although "spring" in March is kind of an oxymoron. In Chicago, it's usually "in like a lion, out like a lion." When Easter is early, which it usually is, we all gaze at sleeveless dresses and short sleeve dress shirts in the Sunday ads and then wear our parkas to church on Sunday. I remember a couple of years ago we had a snow storm on Good Friday and we built a huge snow bunny in the front yard.

I know February is going to drag on every year - I've lived here my whole life. I know it's going to feel like two or three months in one and so I shouldn't be surprised. But this year it seemed longer than others. I guess no matter how much you know what's coming you're still hoping for that reprieve. The calls come early and often from my sister in Denver to report temperatures in the 50's and 60's with a bright sun in a cloudless sky. You remember that movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? It's starting to feel like that. We actually broke the record in Chicago for the most snowfall in February...ever. Seriously. The old record was from the late 1800's.

I don't know how many times the sun was shining this month but it feels like I can count them while making the peace sign. Every color is white or gray or dull brown.

Last night there was a thundersnow shower. No, I'm not making it up. It's the second time this winter. This morning everything on our property; grass, driveway, sidewalk, stoop, was one giant sheet of ice. We didn't so much walk to the bus stop as glide there.

My husband is in Florida. It's 75 degrees. He had dinner on the waterfront outside. I'm happy for him. I really am. I'm thrilled he's getting a little break after driving his parents down there (which took three days) and visiting with his brother. And I totally get why his parents were chomping at the bit to go as well as why his brother moved there over twenty years ago.

Fortunately the sermon series at church this month has been "Staying the Course When You're Tired of the Battle" and it's all about perseverance. That's God's grace in action - providing a little warmth in the long, short month.

Farewells

Yesterday was a day of good-byes. Both seemed too soon and both were bittersweet.

One was at a funeral for my sister-in-law's mom. We sat through the service and listened to the wonderful eulogy that captured the spirit of Mary with laughter and tears. Watching her family band around each other with love and support gave comfort even as it testified to the kind of woman she was. My heart hurts for her children and grandchildren who weren't ready to say good-bye. Life goes by so quickly.

The other farewell was for a beloved co-worker who is retiring and headed south to be near her daughter and grandaughters. She and her husband have made such an impact on so many lives at our church and they've done it all quietly, behind the scenes and with no wish but to see the Lord glorified through their efforts. I can't possibly bemoan their leaving knowing what a blessing they will be to their own family now.

At each event we celebrated the time we had together and at each event we mourned the time we'll have apart.

Days like that remind me how temporary this all is and how, for those who believe, an eternity together in the presence of the Lord is cause for rejoicing every day.

Snow Day

In the last 24 hours 22" of snow fell outside ranking as the third worst snowstorm in Chicago's history. I remember the 2nd worst - it was 1979. I was 12 years old and the snow drifts on either side of our driveway seemed like mountains at the time. I don't think we even had a sled, but it was the time of bell bottom jeans and we coaxed the neighbor's huge German Shepherd into biting our jean bottoms and then got him to pull us along the snow. It was...awesome.

Apparently this one surpassed the storm of 1999 which I don't have any recollection of whatsoever. I may have blocked it out entirely. Caitlin would have just turned two, I was working full-time and I was four or five months pregnant with the twins.

The all time winner is still 1967 - the year of my birth, so that one isn't even a blip in the memory banks.

I'm confident we'll all remember this one.

It started somewhere between 2:00 and 2:30 pm yesterday and didn't stop until 9:00 am this morning. It came on fast, with almost whiteout conditions and did not let up all night. To make it even more memorable we got some thundersnow. Literally lightening and thunder in the midst of the snow. I've never seen anything like it in my life. O'Hare got over 20" and canceled hundreds of flights - no planes in the air last night at all. That hadn't happened since 9/11.

It's the first time the schools have been closed in 12 years. So we all slept in, had pancakes for breakfast and then bundled up to dig out. The neighbor kids were ringing the doorbell at 9:30 am ready to play. Ryan lasted outside for nearly two hours straight. Maggie quickly went inside for hot chocolate and a movie with some of the girls. Cait never made it past the garage door.

Because we had some advance notice I made the bold decision to finally break down and buy a snowblower. I figured I could spend the money on that or pay for our doctor's bills when both our backs go out and we collapse from the strain! Best investment we've made in quite some time. I got the last of it's kind (Toro Power Clear 180 - I highly recommend it) at Ace Hardware on Monday afternoon. I called Dan for permission first. I had wanted to surprise him but when I'm well into 3 digits on an expense it's always good to get agreement beforehand.

The snow plows didn't make it down our street until 11 am. One foolish neighbor made a sad attempt to get out onto the main road before then. His car is still stuck on the side of the road.

One of the photos above is of our neighbors house (ours is the split level in the background) because, honestly, it's more impressive footage of the damage. The other photo is one I've titled "The Hero Brigade" - it's Dan and two of our neighbors who, after clearing out their own driveways went on to an older couples' next door and then ended on the driveway of a widowed woman across the street.

A wonderful response to James 1:27.

Awards Season

It's the end of January and we are midway through Awards Season for all things entertainment. Last week we watched the Golden Globes on TV and tonight they televised the SAG awards. In about four weeks it will be the Oscars.

I'm not sure why this is still appealing in any way since I haven't seen 90% of the TV shows or movies nominated, and many of the acceptance speeches lack anything that expresses true gratitude. The whole premise is so out of control. There are hours of coverage before the cermonies to see what people are wearing and it's always a little sickening when they feature some actress' earrings that would pay off my mortgage and then some.

So it was a wonderful reality check when my daughter Caitlin came home yesterday from her first competition for Science Olympiad this year. She's been practicing after school twice a week for months getting ready for the invitational in Lisle this past Saturday. She woke up at 5:30 am (did I mention this was a Saturday?)because she had to be at school at 6:30 am so all the car poolers would arrive in time for the 7:30 am start. The dress for the day consisted of $10 team T-Shirts with science related slogans.

Caitlin competed in four events, including ornithology (study of birds in case you were wondering) for which she was most pumped, even asking for Peterson's Guide to Birds of North America for Christmas. Yeah...that would be in the non-fiction genre case. The competition consists of testing in each event and usually lasts all day.

I said this was a Saturday, right?

The awards ceremony began just shy of 5 pm and lasted less than an hour to honor dozens of kids.

Caitlin, who was not sure if she would even be able to compete because she was sick last week for the third time in two months, took first place in three of her four events.

To celebrate Dan took her out Lou Malnati's, because in Caitlin's mind that's better than any Hollywood soire with Wolfgang Puck in the kitchen. She returned home beaming and clanking (all those medals were crashing against each other as she walked) as she strolled across our less than red carpet and after ten minutes of recap for her brother, sister and myself, set herself down in the dining room and began working on her homework for Monday.

That was more inspiring than any acceptance speech from any seven-figure entertainer.

Context

Lately I've been grabbing some old CD's and keeping them in the car to listen to when there isn't anything good on the radio. You know how all the stations you like seem to have commercials going at the same time?

I know I could use my ipod, but I still feel like something so small that carries over 1200 of my best loved songs on it shouldn't leave the house unless I know it's going to be on my person the entire time. Anyway, I realized I miss listening to an entire CD, 12 tracks in a row, compiled by one artist with an actual theme in mind.

Don't get me wrong, I love being able to download one song I like without having to buy 10 other songs I don't like that happen to be on the same album. But when you take only one piece of a greater whole you miss out on some stuff.

This month I've listened several times to U2's first album Boy. It was a great debut released in 1980 and it captured all the promise of this young band out of Ireland. Some of the songs on that album are still among their most popular, including the first track "I Will Follow." There was a coming of age theme on the album that is lost on anyone who grabs a single track, throws it on a playlist of various other songs and moves on to the next selection in the itunes store.

I love that some of the songs are richer for having followed or preceded another song that touches me and how hearing them all in sequential order brings back memories from when I first listened to the album. When I hear one of those songs randomly, it's still a great song and it might even play really well on it's own. But there's a context in which the song lives and from that place it truly sings.

I was thinking about all this during my devotional time the other day. It's good to grab a single verse out of the Bible sometimes and focus on just that verse. It's good to read one verse mixed in with other verses on the same topic from time to time too. But there's something special about reading the verse in context of the whole chapter and even the whole book. It's more meaningful knowing the verses it precedes and follows.

I discovered that while there's nothing necessarily wrong with approaching the Bible like the itunes store, randomly looking for 30 second snippets of things I'd like to hear at the moment, that I often find it more beneficial to get the whole message.

Because then it truly sings.

Time

I am always amazed how quickly six to eight hours can pass when they are the only hours I have off a week while my kids are in school and my husband is working.

Today they passed in the proverbial blink of an eye. But, I did manage to; exercise, spend time in God's Word, pray, cook and eat breakfast, buy a gift for a friend's new baby, visit the new mother and gorgeous infant son, have lunch with a dear friend, stop by the resale shop and pick up a few items, grocery shop, wash dishes and do two loads of laundry between 8:30 and 4:00.

I also checked email for 30 minutes in there somewhere and talked to my sister in Colorado while on the road (mostly in parking lots as I try never to drive while on my cell phone).

I used to work at the store where I bought the baby gift and a woman I used to work with rang me up at the register. We talked a bit about how our kids were and both of us marveled at how old they had become.. Evidently we forgot when we age five or six years, so do they. Talk of homecoming dances and college. I'm sooooo not ready.

A couple of days ago, this was the conversation I overheard between my twins Maggie and Ryan:

Maggie: "Ry, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Ry: "A football player."
Maggie: "Really?" Pause. "Because I think you'd make a really good clown."

Maybe they aren't ready either.

Tree of Life

Well another Christmas break has come and gone and tomorrow the kids return to school after two weeks off. Dan and I both have one more day off of work and we might sneak in a breakfast or lunch date before taking down all the decorations we didn't manage to put away over the weekend. Including the Christmas tree.

Our pastor used a great analogy in church this morning about getting rid of the real tree. Dan and I have always had a real tree for Christmas. I've always enjoyed picking it out, first just the two of us and then as a family with the kids. Though some years it was done hastily in frigid temperatures (spy first tree in line - YES -THAT ONE! Can we GO now?) We've never had a tree I didn't think was "perfect" when we put it in the stand and decorated it at home. I love the smell of pine in the house. I even love the smell in the vacuum cleaner in mid February.

Our pastor was talking about the limited life span of the tree once it's been cut down. How when it's in a stand in your home in January it's anything but "Evergreen." Pine needles fall by the dozens with a mere brush near the outer branches and many ornaments dangle far lower to the ground than where they were first hung.

All because the roots are gone.

Once the roots are cut off the tree stops drawing life from its source and begins to die. Its the same way with the Christian. If our roots are not firmly planted in the Word of God we stop drawing life from our source. We stop growing.

It was a short but meaningful point. In fact, I'm making it my new year's resolution. To be firmly planted with deep roots in God's Word.

And I hope to produce an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 2 Cor. 2:15.