Blizzards, Puzzles & Relaxation

Life here is beginning to get back to normal. Amazing what 14 or so inches of snow can do to a city that's not quite 'north enough' to expect lots of snowfall. For a good 48 hours, the hectic nature of our lives was brought to a screeching halt.

Pardon my contrarian way of looking at this, but isn't that a good thing? To occasionally cancel just about everything and stay home with our families and just hang out? Sleeping in is a good thing. Lounging about in comfy clothes that most of us wouldn't be seen in public wearing is quite refreshing. We worked a puzzle that took a couple of days - it was a puzzle from the TV show LOST, a family favorite. Perhaps the hardest puzzle I've ever worked (there was no picture on the box to follow!) But it was fun, we all took our turns, and it was a thrill to put that last piece in place.

So, unfortunately, life is getting back to normal. But does it have to? Can't we redefine normal? How liberating it would be if 'normal' looked a lot like the last few days, and our hectic schedules were a thing of the past. Or at least not our 'default settings.'

Gordon MacDonald says that "Rest was not meant to be a luxury, but a necessity." One of my personal goals, as well as for my family, is that we would clear the clutter and experience a weekly Sabbath rest. I believe God designed us that way (Genesis 2:2-3). And I wonder if every now and then, he might just unleash a 14-inch snow dump that shuts us down for a bit. For many of us, a "forced sabbath" is often the only sabbath we get...

(Oh, here's a gigantic snowman my kids made, right in the back window of our house! This was from a big snow a few weeks back, and this dude was staring into our house for weeks! This snowstorm brought much more of the white stuff, and they made some cool tunnels & air soft forts...)