Frigid Ft. Worth

It has been quite the week of weather for Ft. Worth. Kids will be out of school all week because of the frigid below zero winds and ice-packed roadways. Overpasses are clogged with jack-knife semis and the cars behind them blocked from their attempts to get up and over mixmaster nightmares.

We have cabin fever down here. Revolving planned power outages have made communication difficult. No TV, phone, computer, microwave; anything requiring electricity. Would have to go get the car door unstuck to get in and get my cell phone charged. Going outside into the rare ice and snow scapes for fun is not so fun when you are falling on the ice and your face is getting frost bitten. I didn't get the mail yesterday because the walk to the mailbox was treacherous.

During my attempt yesterday to get down to the Albertson's to get supplies, there were rude bubbas in Texas trucks honking their horns at the folks driving conservatively to pick up their speed or somehow get out of the way. If there had been a safe option to turn around and go home I would have taken it. Instead, I had to slowly persevere until I arrived at the almost ice-free store lot, get my items, and return on the skating rink of Western Center Blvd. to my home. I was praying for myself and those around me the whole way.

I found myself actually laughing at the scenarios. The first night of the storm, when my husband was stuck in Kansas City, I knew that I had some driveway cleaning to do in the morning. At least I had not put the car in the garage. The scene of me trying to get on top of the car to get the garage door opened manually with the magic red cord, would have brought giggles to many onlookers. Instead, I had to peel the cotton sheet I put over the windshield the night before off of the car. The wind was blowing the purple frozen masterpiece around as I tried to get the last piece around the mirror untied. I had to resort to cutting it off. Wish I would have thought to take a picture of the frozen purple sculpture flying above my car as I struggled to get it loose.

I had to start chopping the deep ice away from the garage door to get it unstuck. As I started noticing the shards of ice, I stopped my work to enjoy a little creative recovery time as I made a Sangre de Cristo mountain range sculpture. The elephant I tried to make first was impossible because the snow was too dry. I thought about the adage of making lemonade when life gives you lemons. The storm gave me shards of ice that brought to mind one of my favorite places in Colorado; thus the shards became those severe, tall peaks of the Sangres. Was going to add the Sand Dunes at their base, but my face was freezing off even covered with my ski mask.

I hope as you see me in your mind's eye living through these ridiculous situations it will bring a giggle. Even if it is a chance to poke a little fun at myself, I find reasons to LAUGH today. It will spread good health through me and to others. I will not let negative thoughts steal my joy.

God gave us laughter to be a salve and a conduit for His Light. Instead of a preachy, judgmental Christian countenance, a joyful, laughing one is the face that will win souls for Christ!

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A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.
Prov. 15:13