ICY CONDITIONS

Growing up at the bottom of the hill from our church, one of the blessings in the neighborhood was the Wyant farm across the road. The winter season was especially entertaining. That farm field was prime real estate for snowmobiles. Our 'saucers' were often tied behind with thick hemp rope and we were dragged at breathtaking speeds through the bumpy terrain. Cornering was especially terrifying. It's a wonder we survived at all!

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But one of my most cherished memories was ice skating in the pear orchard that was between the Wyant's cobblestone house and our church. Most of the trees are gone now, but the property is still low enough to collect water - the current residents now enjoy a lovely little pond.  Back in the day, that orchard would flood and then freeze in the winter, creating a beautiful ice rink. I remember my Dad taking us there with permission - sometimes during the day on weekends, but occasionally in the evening. That was a unique experience - the dim light, the moon and stars, the quiet of the snow, the sound of our skates on the ice as we slid gracefully between the trees.....

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There were very few actual commercial ice rinks back then, especially in our neighborhood, so we would search out flooded fields or big puddles, maybe a construction site where the water accumulated and froze.  But there was one thing about skating on an open field that we had to expect, and that was the occasional blade of grass.

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Now, that doesn't seem like it would be much of a problem - but it was. Imagine one little blade of grass in the growing season that had made its way up above the water and was then taller than the freeze level. And if you were skating along and managed to hit that grass, you'd end up stopping short - as if you hit a wall - and land on your knees. It was fast, and hard and painful. I think I still have bruises to this day.  Although we did our best to scope out those obstacles, there would always be one that we missed. We'd do a face plant, cry a few tears, and then our friends would come and help us up and we'd continue. (Once that grass was pulled up or cut down, of course.)

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I think this is an interesting analogy for life in general. Here we are, sailing along, enjoying the view, and then all of a sudden, without warning, we hit an obstacle - one we didn't see coming that stops us short.  Could be a major expense (car repair or home maintenance), a health scare, a family crisis, a sudden career change, a failed relationship....... We might curse, or cry, we might be injured. We might sit still for a moment, trying to recover our senses asking ourselves what we do now? Do we give up and walk away, feeling defeated? Or do we stand up and brush ourselves off and with the help of our friends, continue?

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I hope and pray in all cases, it's the latter. You and I know that there is no way to avoid such obstacles. They are always there waiting on the horizon. And no amount of planning or trying to control every single situation will keep them from happening. But the key to success is this - we have each other. Just as my friends would scoop me up, and sympathize with me over my bruised knees, we are all here for each other. That was God's plan from the very beginning. We must have confidence in the people around us - confidence that they are here for us, that we can trust them, that they have what it takes to comfort us, that they can help remove that obstacle perhaps, and if needed, carry on in our stead. 

Let's not hesitate to stay connected to each other, and feel comfortable enough to share our joys and concerns with the people who are close to us. And let's have the confidence to trust that they have the knowledge and the skill and the intent to carry us through the challenges we will inevitably face. God is with us - and God attends to us through the people around us. So that regardless of any 'icy conditions' we encounter, we can be assured that we are never alone.

Pastor Jessilou