Rain and Snow

Most of you can probably picture the first snowfall of the year. Not the first couple times snowflakes fall, but the first time you really wish you had your winter tires on already and the first time you hear sirens all night because people forget that snow means drive slow. Going to church after a big snowfall the night before, the sanctuary is nearly empty because those who do manage to arrive, arrive late after shovelling, driving slow, and getting caught behind accidents. That's what I was reminded of today.

Of course it wasn't snow that made me think of that. Actually this afternoon my roommate commented to me that it was really hot out! I looked at the blue sky with scattered clouds and said, "It's going to rain." An hour later we heard it. The black clouds rolled in, the skies opened up, and it just started to pour! Sitting in my room downstairs I didn't really realize how hard it was raining. So of course when the doctor couple upstairs offered us a ride to church I thought it was just nice of them. I thought to not wear my glasses in the rain and to wear my plastic flip flops rather than my cloth ones. But somehow I thought, in my Kamloops mind, that having an umbrella, as broken as it is, will keep me dry. So I didn't wear my raincoat or my rubber boots. Why would I wear my jacket if I wasn't cold and who wears rubber boots to church?

Then I stepped outside. Well, I opened the door to step outside and stood staring at what was our road. River is a better word for it. I have never seen our road running with that much water! Yes it rains hard here. But usually I can jump from the sidewalk to the higher part of the road and skip right over the river. This time I landed ankle deep as I ran for the vehicle. We had to ask Walter to move the vehicle to the middle of the road so we could get in without swimming. We got a few ppl honking that we were blocking traffic, but I wasn't about to go wading through that. 

The church service starts at 4:00pm. Usually we are punctual, especially if we drive. We arrived at 4:10. Church didn't start until 4:30. You know it's empty when the worship leaders tell everyone to move into the front 3 rows. People weren't late because they had to shovel or scrape their windshields. They didn't decide not to come because they don't have winter tires yet. But sometimes those muddy paths are as slippery as ice. Where some people live, they need rubber boots, just as at home people need snow boots. When it's raining so hard at the church that they have to turn up the volume on the sound system and move the instruments off the floor because of water pooling, and you choose where you sit based on which seats are not being dripped on, it might be best just to stay at home. The service was good, though. We worshiped God extra hard to warm up (when your clothes are wet, and the sun is not shining, you feel cool). And our pastor reminded us that not only do we have to love God, but we have to tell God we love him, just as in any relationship. The more we do this, the closer we will be to him. Through good times and bad, through rain and snow, life is better when we walk close to God.

My gumboots