Pastor's Note

BRAVING THE ELEMENTS
December 23rd, 2007

Last Saturday, as the winter storm was descending on Wood County, I asked myself why I would want to continue living in northern Ohio with its vicious wind and challenging ice and snow. These thoughts came to me as I drove over to Dowling for the Saturday Mass.
On Sunday afternoon, when the storm had broken and as I went outside for a walk ‘just to get some air,’ I answered my own question. I choose to live here precisely because of the wind, snow, ice, and the challenges that those elements bring.
To be more exact, I found myself enjoying the cold and the wind. Even the icy walk and the snow – provided that I was in a parka and wearing very warm boots – were elements to enjoy and not disparage.
It’s not that I particularly like cold, but I like being able to feel what is around me with all its variety and bluster. The changes of temperature, the occasional storm, and the particular beauty that can come with ice and snow are important to me. As I walked, I also realized that nature requires the cold season for a healthy spring and summer.
Being part of nature is something that we need to experience over and over again. Otherwise, we can forget our kinship with the rest of the world that God also created.
“Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.”
Daniel 3: 67-70
One more reason I like going out in the cold: the hot chocolate that I drink in front of the fireplace when I return. This, too, is a joy of winter.