Snow Day Three

I don't remember three snow days in one year for our school system, let alone three consecutive days.  One year we had freezing temperatures for eleven and a half days while there was ice on the ground, but not this much snow and ice at once. And most of the water mains broke, which was a terrible mess. Every intersection was covered in a fountain of ice from the breaks.  This is rather extraordinary, however, to have temperatures in the teens and below with ice and snow east, west, north, and south of us. All schools are closed. All government offices, churches, clinics, and many businesses. The Mall is open for a few hours today. Grocery stores are open for awhile.  Hospitals are open for sure!

So, what are we doing with all this time and isolation?  Facebook entries are WAY up.  My laundry is done. My bathrooms are clean. I can't find my newspapers so I'm reading online. I taught some violin lessons by Skype and some theory lessons by phone. The Suzuki Association has a Parents as Partners offering online through February 28th which my studio subscribed to, at least six of us did.  I've watched all of those and they are extremely helpful.  I watched the DVR'd  TV programs and I've listened to my favorite playlists several times.  I baked some biscotti--chocolate almond--and shortbread cookie dough is chilling in the fridge. Thankfully I'm low on eggs and butter or I would be baking too much!  I tried to build a fire in the fireplace, but the wood was too wet for the amount of kindling that I had.  Power companies have urged turning down thermostats to save energy and prevent further rolling blackouts (had one for three hours on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning).  That means we should all get off our sofas, chairs, and derrieres and do something to get warm.  My choice to warm my muscles is cleaning house or yoga poses.  I can turn up the music and listen while I do those.

Then I read a blog post by a young woman that really touched my heart. A couple of days later another young lady responded to it. They both battle lies--the kind of thoughts that batter you down and tell your self worth it is useless.  Those confessions dig up my feet and my hands and my guts and cause me to rise up in anger at the source of the lies. But the confessions also tell me that my dear friends are not equipped, which means that perhaps more of my friends, my daughters, and their friends are not equipped either.  Rise up, precious ladies!  Listen to your Bible recordings.  Play uplifting music all the time!  Read truth, not fiction or lies!  Build up your spirit!  A strong spirit is cultivated.  Feed it the milk of the Word--comfort food--Psalms are great.  Feed your spirit the meat of the Word--meat changes your body and builds it up--the gospels and Paul's letters are perfect.  Feed your spirit by praying--if you have received a prayer language this is perfect. If you haven't received, ask for it.  We are building ourselves up in our most holy faith!  When you pray, let Him warm your heart and protect it, guard it, with His truth.  And stay in fellowship with others who love Him--a triple braided cord is not easily broken!

I listened to four sermons yesterday on Snow Day Two.  I was reminded of some of the points in the paragraph above while listening.  Then I wrote the following response to the two blog posts I mentioned earlier.


Dearly Loved Women,
I try to read every one of your posts, because I know several of you well.  Allow me to comment, please.  
We are each His favorite child.  He is interested in You and everything that interests you.  Your dreams delight Him. Your thoughts concern Him.  Your every breath is part of Him, because He breathed into you and gave you Life.  Then He gave His only Son--think about it! His only child, the only One. The perfect One. The One who delighted Him the most of all!  He gave Him for us so that we might have ETERNAL LIFE with them (Father, Son & Holy Spirit).  He gave us life twice!  And keeps on giving.  He is so excited about you that He leaps and spins in the air and sings over you with shouts of joy!  Doesn't that resemble a sports event, or a reality TV show finale?  He loves you that much every minute--loves your mistakes as well as your accomplishments.  Which one of you doesn't delight in watching a child learn to crawl or pick up an object or say a first word.  Our efforts delight Him just as much as our finished works!  Oh How He loves you and Me!  Doesn't that just make you want to sing and dance and cry and laugh?  His love is unconditional and unchanging.  You cannot do anything at all to mess it up.  He always accepts your repentance and shows you His ways.  They are new every morning!  Great is His faithfulness!  I hope that each of you will delight in this truth and that the Truth will set you free of every lie, every time one comes up!  Just say to the lie, "My Father loves Me and that is the Truth!".  
Blessings to each of you.