October 13, 1997
"The First Snow of the Year!"
by Diana Waring

Beyond Survival Things We Wish We'd Known Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries World Empires, World Missions, World Wars History Tapes Encouragement Tapes Music Newsletter Web Column Laughing Corner Online Catalog Place An Order! Monthly Special New & Upcoming Meet the Warings Schedule Message Board Site Map What's New? Search Site Web Links HOME

This morning as my dear husband and I were getting ready to go for our daily walk, we heard the sounds of a fierce wind blowing through the trees. Hmmm. A quick look out side confirmed that, indeed, there was a fierce storm a-brewing in our area. Not only was the wind bending the trees into different shapes, but small, white bits of fluff were flying past our noses. What was that? Snow?? SNOW!!! Yippee! The first snow of the year!! Having spent much of my childhood in Miami, Florida, I feel that I have a lot of winter to catch up on - and snow is my favorite part of winter! While my husband was inside, still trying to prepare himself for this walk I was insisting we take -"Honey, come on, it'll be great! You know, once we get to walking, we'll warm up and everything will be fine!!" - I bundled up in coat, hat and gloves. After having expressed my delight at seeing snow, I ran out to refill our bird feeders since the bird community was quite insistent at receiving sustenance in this new weather condition. Oh, joy! "Yes, little birdies, I'm going to feed you..." Gloves off to fill the bird feeders... Wind blowing on my back while I hang the bird feeders... Snow, snow, snow, snow... hmmm... cold snow, colder wind, coldest conditions in a long time. And then the wind REALLY kicked in! As I battled my way back into the house, I glanced across the street. What I mean to say is that I tried to glance across the street, but by now, with the extra force of the wind, the area beyond our yard was an impenetrable wall of white. Hmmm. "Ummm... Perhaps, dear, we should stay inside today... It looks a little extreme out there." A knowing smile. My husband was born and raised in these parts, and he knows better than to go out in that stuff... But he was waiting for me to come to the same conclusion. Aha. Okay. We will reschedule our walk for a more opportune (i.e. safer) time. This little incident reminds me of life in general. There have been times when we have had our schedule all planned out, and the expectation was that everything would run like clockwork. Then, unexpectedly, a wrench would be thrown in the works. Sometimes it is sickness. I remember when we were getting ready to go to a convention in North Dakota a few years ago. Homeschool conventions are not only our business, but they are great times of "social interaction" with other like-minded families. The day before we were scheduled to leave, Isaac woke up with a high fever, sore throat, congestion... the works. Though I was scheduled to speak, the "mother" in me warred with the "speaker" in me. My first responsibility (not to mention my heart) was to my son, and there was simply no substitute for his "mom". So, I had to lay down my expectations, my plans, my schedule, and do what was best for that moment. Once I readjusted my plan, a tremendous peace came. I knew that this was what God had for me, and that it was going to be all right. As you might expect, we had a wonderful weekend, just the two of us. Sometimes it is mere fatigue. A few weeks ago, we all were dog-tired, trying to haul ourselves out of bed early in the morning. The whole family had been going ninety miles an hour for days, and we had neglected to factor fatigue in our schedule. So, on that bleary morning, my husband and I made an executive decision that school was cancelled for the morning, and sleep was our new agenda. That afternoon, everyone was bright-eyed, alert, and ready to get back into the routine. But, trust me on this, if we hadn't taken a "time out" , the results would have been disastrous. Sometimes our plans can change due to an unexpected opportunity. One summer our son, Michael, was planning to go to a backpacking camp. His grandmother had agreed to help sponsor him for a 5 day trip with a Christian camping ministry, and Michael was so excited!! We were excited for him too, and thankful for the way the schedule was working out. You see, we were going to be leaving for the East Coast at the beginning of September, and Michael's trip out in the Olympic Mountains in Washington state was at the beginning of August. Plenty of time for getting him home... Then we received a phone call from the camping company. "We hate to tell you this, but the trip Michael has signed up for is going to be cancelled. We're really sorry about this, but no one else signed up for the trip." Silence. Michael was going to be devasted. "Well, what are our options?" "There IS another trip that we're pretty sure is going to fill up. However, it is a two week trip, and therefore more expensive." "How much more expensive?" "Well, since his trip had to be cancelled, we can give you a special price on it. By the way, it is from the middle of August to the end of August." My heart plummeted. All of our wonderfully laid out plans for getting Michael back to South Dakota before we left for the East Coast were disintegrating before my eyes. But how could we deny him the chance to do this thing he had wanted to do for years? "Lord, show us what to do." It ended up that Michael went for the two week backpacking trip in the Olympics. And, in the mysterious ways of God, he ended up being the only student to go! So, Michael had two expert guides showing him woodcraft and mountaineering skills - a tutoring experience, if you will - which absolutely was one of the highlights of his life. And my mom drove him all the way to South Dakota, arriving the night before we had to leave!!! "And we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purposes." Romans 8:28 My encouragement to you today: Be careful to recognize when your schedule needs to flex, when your plans need to be changed, when you have to lay down your own ideas and pick up God's. His plans are far better than ours anyway! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 Blessings, Diana Return to the List of the BOTCW Columns

HOME  •   Catalog  •   Books  •   Study Guides  •   Tapes  •   About the Author
Online Resources  •   Message Board  •   Newsletter  •   Web Column  •   Site Help

P.O. Box 378  •  Spearfish, SD 57783-2331  •  Phone: (605) 642-7583
E-mail: diana@dianawaring.com  •  URL: http://www.dianawaring.com/
© 1997-2000 Diana Waring, all rights reserved

LOST? LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC PAGE? NEED A MAP TO GET AROUND?
Try our Site Map!