Sunday, March 09, 2008

Showers of Blessings

Lots of snow to shovel! From my window I can see a team of four who have just poured out of a van to do battle with the accumulation in a neighbour's driveway. Our area probably received 25 centimetres or more, but in Ottawa it was a reversal of those numbers --52 centimetres in addition to the 28 they were blessed with on Tuesday. Suddenly it doesn't seem so bad here.

Did you have a shower after you finished your labours? We assume that when we turn on the taps the water will flow, even in Winter. The seemingly endless precipitation of this winter and the shower we take in the comfort of our home are actually related. When we don't have significant snowfall through the winter the levels of lakes and streams and rivers go down and there are problems with everything from navigation for boats to enough water to drink and clean ourselves with.

We are aware of the effects of dry summers but dry winters can be an even greater concern. When the milder weather of Spring comes -- and it will come -- the snow becomes this time-release source for replenishing the aquifers and reservoirs and other bodies of water. Maybe there won't be such a big bathtub ring on the Great Lakes this year.

Once again we are reminded of the cycles and patterns of the world God has brought into being. Winter isn't just "putting in time" until the real seasons begin.

Our shovelling is done so we'll go and play in the snow instead, in the form of an afternoon ski.

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