HOME AGAIN

Thou hast fixed all the bounds of the earth; thou hast made summer and winter (Psalms 74:17).

The lovely and gracious Helen and I made a quick trip to California for a holiday weekend (President's Day) with Kirk, Rebecca, Faith, Deacon and Parker.  It was a great time for a couple of reasons: to renew relationships, celebrating Rebecca and Parker's birthdays, and to just experience a bit of summer.  This winter has been a loong, cold and hard one.  It was good to experience warm sunshine and green grass!  It was good respite therapy for the winter blues that have a grip on many people in the midwest right now.

During my ministry in Rifle, Colorado, I went bear hunting with one of the men in my congregation.  It was early May.  While we were hunting we came on a small cabin that had been built by a man who stayed the winter there with his wife.  The cabin was extremely isolated.  Once the snows came to that higher elevation, no one was able to go in or go out.  By February the wife had developed an extreme case of cabin fever; she just sat on the edge of the bed and talked to herself.  When the snow melted enough so that she could get out, she was gone.  The man was still there, that's how I know the story;  it didn't seem like he was too interested in tracking down his wife, but I'm not sure that any amount of marriage counseling could save that marriage.  I am telling you this little story to illustrate that many of us in the midwest feel like that wife this year and a little time in the warm sun with green grass is a blessing from the Lord!

Grace&Peace,
Tom