The weather outside is FRIGHTFUL!

Hi, everyone!

I’ll start out by saying that we made it home safe and sound. So, here I am, writing from my own desk. It’s only three days till Christmas, and we have the weather to prove it – Snow, 22 inches of the cold white stuff. It’s so beautiful, but not appreciated if you have to be out in it.

We had quite a time getting home from California on Thursday evening. Our flight was scheduled to leave Sacramento at 4:15, and we were delayed a couple of times before we boarded the plane. That same flight had been canceled a day earlier, so we were prepared to spend the night at the Sacramento airport. We were finally airborne just after 5:30 p.m. and landed in Portland at 6:50. That boy put the pedal to the metal, I wanna tell you. Normally the flight takes just about an hour and 40 minutes, so our pilot made up some lost time up there at 30,000 feet! The most exciting part was landing on a surface that was obviously covered with a sheet of ice – Yikes! But our trip, including the scary landing, was completely uneventful up to that point.

Then we were faced with the challenge of navigating the icy roads to make it home safely. Darrell & I had planned to stop and pick up a sandwich on the way home, but aborted that part of the plan when we saw how treacherous the conditions were. Tends to ruin your appetite. It snowed at near-blizzard levels for several lengthy portions of the 45-mile trip.

Actually, the most interesting (a totally inadequate descriptor) part of the journey was the 5 miles after leaving I-5 North driving on the country roads to our house. We slipped and slid all over the place, and saw several unfortunate pickup trucks that had slid off into the ditch or up against a front yard fence at an awkward angle. We alternately prayed (during a slip or slide) and praised aloud (when Darrell safely worked our way out of a slip or slide), and I held on for dear life. Very exciting! It was a relief to round that last corner and see our own porch light shining in the distance! However, we only made it about six feet off the road into our 40-foot driveway, where our van remains stuck and covered with snow as of this writing.

On Friday afternoon my brave husband fired up our old 1982 4WD Ford pickup (which takes 20 minutes to warm up and, by the way, has no working heater). Between storms he made his way to the little market in Castle Rock for supplies needed to ride out the storm(s). We were out of the basic staples – ice cream (don’t laugh!), bread, milk, eggs, and (last but definitely NOT least) toilet paper! Now, I can make bread and can get along quite comfortably without milk or eggs (even ice cream), but TP…, uh, I don’t THINK so! Our septic system would NOT appreciate pages from a Sears catalog (and besides, we don't have a catalog)!

Here’s a side note: Our pastor called Saturday afternoon to let us know that Sunday services had been canceled because of the weather. Pastor Dan said he had never canceled a service in his career, so this was a first. However, it was a moot point for us, since we can’t get out of our driveway, anyway.

I’ve talked to my brother a couple of times since we’ve been home. He sounded so good when we talked on Saturday morning, even after having an Avastin infusion (one of his chemo meds) on Friday. He said he had no energy (one of the side effects), but his speech was so good and we had a good (albeit brief) visit. He wanted to know how much snow we had gotten, among other things.

We aren’t doing much of anything for Christmas. We talked about putting up a tree, but with all of the little ornaments that our kids have hung on our tree year after year, including ones they made with their own little hands as children, I just don’t think I could handle it this year. We’ve bought a few little gifts for our grandkids and will deliver them when the weather permits, but I think that’s about all we’ll do. I bought myself a new (inexpensive) printer as a gift to myself. We really have need of nothing, so gifts aren’t a priority between the two of us. Jesus is our best gift - He gives himself to us anew every day. Praise Him for that! And He is the healer of broken hearts, so we have that promise, as well.

Have a blessed Christmas with your family, and a peaceful and happy new year.

Love you all!

XOXO


MY TEXT FOR TODAY: Isaiah 9:6-7 (TLB)

Thank you, Lord, for the Gift of All Gifts!

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders. These will be His royal titles: Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

“His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of his father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations of the world.”