Just a week into the new year, I find myself at the keyboard of my computer, looking out my window now and then, at the fresh snow fall.
In some ways, it’s a hassle. No church services tomorrow, a possible glitch trying to get to the local funeral home to conduct a memorial service, a few worries about whether the power will stay on and what furniture we will need to set ablaze if it does go off.
But in other, much more important ways, it’s a blessing.
Time to slow down. Time to breathe. Time to read. Time to reflect. Time to pray.
There’s not nearly enough of that kind of time available these days.
So, for now, I will breathe it all in – along with the faint, sweet aroma of the wood burning in the wood stove. I will enjoy talking with my wife. I will relax and pet the cats. I will indulge in the moment – it will end too soon.
A New Year’s Snow – what a blessing in disguise. Amen.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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I loved this! Eerything you said was so true! And yes, this has been a wonderful time to rest and rejuenate…time well spent!
Keep up the good work, Paul!
PS I chuckled when I read the part about deciding which pieces of furniture to throw on the fire should the power go out!!!
Thanks for the encouraging word, Frances. Happy, snowy, new year!