As I stand in my kitchen watching the snow fall outside, I think about how beautiful it is. Pure white snow falling … blanketing the landscape. I remember many moments from my childhood … playing in the snow. I smile. Then, my adult brain jumps to the need to shovel the sidewalk and clean off the vehicle. I start to ponder the condition of the roads as the wet snow accumulates and the temperature drops.

We could learn a great deal from observing the weather.

There are millions of people who have never, nor will ever see snow. They may live in regions that do not get cold, let alone cold enough to snow. There are many who live in regions who will never see a hurricane. Some regions rarely get rain.

Let us ponder rain. There are regions of this world where people die from lack of access to clean water. They are in desperate need of rain. There are regions of this world where heavy rains are common. There are areas that experience devastating flooding. Hurricanes have ravaged many lands. A springtime rain shower is rejoiced in some regions. The thought of rain is often dreaded in some areas of our world.

Rain, the thought of, sight of, mention of can invoke an extremely wide range of emotions in many … depending on where they live.

We could learn a great deal from observing the weather.

Let us ponder snow. Snow acts as a blanket for the ground and causes the ground to freeze thus killing wintering insects, their eggs and larvae plus slowing down noxious weed populations. Rain is great, but snow is heavy and soaks deep into the ground and adds nitrogen and trace nutrients to the soil. We cannot overlook the childlike wonder involved with playing in the snow. Likewise, extreme amounts of snow can cause tremendous problems … blocking roadways, trapping people in their homes, bringing down trees and powerlines, freezing water pipes, just to name a few problems. Snow, the thought of, sight of, mention of can invoke an extremely wide range of emotions in many … depending on where they live.

We could learn a great deal from observing the weather.

Lack of a weather element can lead to problems. Excessive occurrences of a weather element can lead to problems. Just like weather elements, a person’s emotions in excess or lack thereof can lead to problems. We cannot control the weather. We can, however, control our emotions.

You may be the only sunshine a frozen heart receives today. You may be the only shelter a battered soul receives today. Keep in mind that “a little goes a long way”. Being encouragement for someone does not mean you have to flood them with all your “insights”.

We could learn a great deal from observing the weather.

..end transmission..