Monday, 31 January 2005 - Good timing and My sister, L

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for being in the right place at the right time.

Last night, we got an additional 4-6 inches of snow (this time, the dry, powdery kind), giving us a total of nearly 16 inches in two days. School was cancelled. Our street is a mess - unplowed, rutted, slippery and very difficult navigate without 4-wheel drive. Our garbage men had a tough time driving their truck up and down the street. I hope the mailman survives the drive.

This morning, T and I took a short walk along the trail (I should have worn snowshoes as the drifts were really deep). On our way home, I noticed two policemen leaving the corner house. As one officer tried to drive his car along side his partner's, he got stuck in the snow. He tried every driving maneuver to get "unstuck." I offered to lend him a snow shovel, but he declined.

When I got home, I decided to shovel the sidewalk. I noticed the policeman was still stuck in the snow (his partner had since driven away), so I walked over and gave him the shovel so he could clear the snow and slush engulfing the tires. It didn't work. I told him that we would need to push his car onto Silent Rain, the plowed street that runs perpendicular to ours. I ran home to get my husband. S and two guys we know from the neighborhood met with the officer before successfully pushing the police car onto driveable road. A couple of hours later, I saw the same two police cars driving up Silent Rain ... I wonder what's going on.

S and I spent most of the morning shoveling the sidewalk and driveway while T looked on. Paul is still in Ohio so S shoveled about half of his driveway - the snow was heavy and over 14" deep. The boys next door were suppose to shovel their driveway while their mother was at work, but they preferred to play with T, pelt each other with snowballs, and build a snow fort. We plan to go snowshoeing this afternoon. Our neighbor, K, cut trails earlier with her dog, Sage. I am sure that T will love the outing.

And, I am also thankful for my sister, L. Today, she celebrates her 48th birthday. L is an intelligent, talented and sensible woman. She always makes us feel welcome in her beautiful home and shows genuine interest in what we're doing and thinking. And, perhaps most importantly, she is R's and B's remarkable mother.

For these blessings, I am very grateful.

Amen.