Day #257

September 14, 2014

It snowed in Montana. Seems a tad early for the year, but the weather (wherever we are) is about as predictable - and controllable - as the sleep pattern of a newborn baby. :-)

Sure, it is most likely going to be very cold where I will soon be headed. And probably very snowy. Yet, something came to my mind that seems important to remember: a place is about more than just the weather.

If that were not true, there would be many places in the world where folks might not choose to live. Some like it really hot; some do not. Some like it really cold; some do not. Some do not mind living with the possibility of dangerous tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc.; some cannot imagine those kinds of risks.

Certainly weather plays a part in our lives. It affects how easily we can come and go, it may change our indoor or outdoor plans for the day (the homecoming meal had to be enjoyed inside today due to rainy weather earlier), and it impacts our overall comfort. But isn’t a place about the people and the calling more than it is the weather?

Realizing time is getting shorter and shorter, I know I will miss the weather where I currently live. It is nice having long summer days and cool spring nights, an extended season of not needing a coat or gloves or hat, and enjoying the colors of fall.

Yet, instead of the weather, it will be the people I will miss most. The folks where I am leaving have become a part of me. Their lives, their stories, their experiences, the joys and sorrows they have shared with me have become dear to me. There will certainly be a time of grieving, of adjustment, and of sadness.

Yet, there are new things on the horizon for all of us. God knows who and what they are, and just as God’s creation experiences the weather, we all will experience the new things one day at a time. And all will be well.

Blessings.