Last night (& well into the morning) Williamsburg was treated (again) to snow, 8 inches of it (last week students missed a whole week of school for 7 inches.)  Northerners think we southerners are snow wimps & wimpettes, but our cities & counties just don’t have enough resources for piles of snow.  Main roads get needed attention but our neighborhoods usually have to wait until higher temperatures thaw us out.

Meanwhile the nice, white fluffy snow that wasn’t so bad for folks getting around today (if they had to) will totally freeze tonight when temps drop into the teens ( -8 ish Celsius.)

The snow is beautiful to view (as long as it doesn’t freeze our birdies, like this goldfinch who is munching his breakfast. My brother has loaded the birdfeeders 4 or five times the past week!)

And looks lovely on the trees…

But not so nice on tree branches that FALL, like this one that fell today. Thankfully, (God is merciful) not on our house, just on the heat pump –  that is, of course, something very necessary when temperatures are so very cold.

The helpful heating & air folks will address the challenge (as they triage emergencies to get to us) but we have nice warm heat from our back-up system, which is a blessing. We are not complaining… especially given past experiences with hurricane-downed trees. (You can read about facing  Stormy Weather by clicking here…)

Again (as with the last downed tree) our neighbor, Tim Hogan, came to the rescue. (We call him ‘Tool-Time-Tim” ’cause he has a fully loaded tool room stocked with things like a spiffy chainsaw. : )

We are so grateful to Tim for helping us & to Laurin, his wife, for always ‘being there.’   When we came home from the hospital last year just after Papa passed, Tim & Laurin met us with hugs, and then later brought over dinner.  We will never forget their acts of compassion then… & now with handy chainsaws.

Compassion (yes, there is a Lenten application to this post!) — is the act of ‘being with’ especially those who are suffering.

“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”  Henri Nouwen

“Be compassionate just as your Heavenly Father is compassionate…” (Luke 6:36 )

Something to think about today as we snuggle to stay warm!

grace, peace & snowy compassion

     Virginia