Let it snow...

I'm usually the first to rise at home. I greet each morning with delight at being able to enjoy another day. When it is time to rouse my son, I pass by a large second-floor window facing south-east and I look out to see what is happening outside my home.

Yesterday morning, I saw the most incredible sunrise I can remember. The entire sky was a bright red-orange. It was stunning. I stood for a long moment enjoying the spectacle. It was such an unusual sight that I woke my wife, so she could enjoy the view too. Even my son was awed.

As we enjoyed the sight, the following came to mind:

"Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.
Red sky at night, sailor delight."

I have no idea where I first heard that, but have noticed numerous times over the decades that the saying is as good a weather predictor as my local TV weatherman. Of course, that might only be because we tend to notice when things go as predicted but conveniently forget those situations that don't fit our expectations. Yesterday, the six o'clock news weatherman warned of considerable snow ahead, over a thirty-six hour span. It's snowing as I write this. Is this one of those situations that make us go: "Hmmmm?"

I have thought to myself, many times over the years, about how our world is both beautiful and ugly, simultaneously kind and cruel, welcoming and forbidding. The sun warms us, but can kill us if we get too much of it. A cool breeze can be welcome in sweltering heat, but high winds can kill us and destroy our property. When we introduce the human element into our world, we get a whole new set of contrasts: full minds and empty minds, brilliance and stupidity, generosity and greed, acceptance and rejection, cooperation and contention, freedom and enslavement. Yet, even with all the bad things that can happen around us and to us, with all the indignities and insults, pain and suffering, disappointments and disillusions we face in our lives, we still cling to life with a tenacity that is remarkable. Most of us, whatever our situation, want to live and we fight tooth and claw to stay alive. Life is a one-time gift. You can't get refills. When your time is up, it's time to go.

I love life. Keep it coming. I haven't lived my fill just yet.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...