Our cold spell has ended. The thermometer is reading above freezing temperatures during the day; freezing at night. Longer days and warm sun are causing the generous snow cover to melt, larger and larger patches of earth appear every day – no green yet, or dust or robins, however. The mini mountains of snow that heavy duty machines piled in parking lots and in yards where the city saw fit to blow street snow are diminishing to mere mini hills. The melting snow creates rivulets in interesting patterns through ice ending up in torrents of water rushing to gutters disappearing down grates into the sewer and wind creates amazing sculptures in the remaining snow. I got a new pair of comfortable rubber boots so I can walk and splash to my hearts’ content without getting wet feet. Will I ever grow up – I don’t think so, I think I don’t even want to. I am remembering the comment our neighbor made as we met on the sidewalk several weeks ago, each of us in our winter gear, shoveling snow in piles above our heads, “In two months’ time this will all be a memory”. Snow drifts prevents me from going to the clothes line and the greenhouse without navigating knee deep snow but in my mind I see bed clothes drying on the line and rhubarb and roses in the garden being motivated to poke through the earth as soon as they feel the warm sun. We are almost there!
A comforter story: Ray’s parents, Jason and Beulah Yoder/Good, were married December 24th, 1933. The story, as I understand it, goes that Jason’s sisters made a comforter for them from scraps they saved from their sewing projects, as a wedding gift. They likely made their own dresses as well as dresses for their daughters. The comforter has survived all these years and has ended up in our home. It is folded on to a quilt rack and sits in our living room. I look at it every day and I marvel at the pattern, the material, the colors and the even decorative stitching around every square. I wonder how did they determine what colors to put where, how did they decide the pattern, who wore the dresses the squares were saved from, where did they buy the material and how much did it cost? Ray remembers the comforter from home and that is was used only when someone was sick; that tells me that it was special to Mom and that she used it sparingly. Ray’s parents are no longer living, as are the makers of this comforter. They had no idea when they created the comforter that it would still bring comfort to family generations later.
Two quotes I read recently:
• We are reflections of the people who came before us.
Would that be why when I look at my Oswald first cousins I see our parents?
• God’s engagement in the world is not one of obligation or duty, but one of generosity and will. Flawed as we are, we are capable of great acts of compassion that we are not obliged to do. We are impelled, but not compelled. It is these moments when we perfectly fulfill the promise of being created in God’s image.
Thank-You for Loving Us – Take Care
Ray and Betty Good