When God insisted on Winter
I think Jesus chimed in and
invented ice skating rinks
(or at least the ice–well, of course, the ice!)
(or at least the ice–well, of course, the ice!)
All that whirling and twirling
jumping and spinning
going on.
Pratfalls and crashes
and grown ups and children
whizzing by and
falling–
re-upping their bodies umpty-million
times.
Fun and risk and danger at
breakneck speed.
He’s that kind o’ Creator,
I’m sure.
Clearly one doesn’t feel the cold
if speed and activity are maintained
but bundled up,
you also can move slowly, enjoying the view,
hands behind you resting at the back
breathing deeply the fresh, crisp air
as you glide along.
I’ve been skating this wintry season past,
steadied on thin blades,
hands on the edge rails,
avoiding the spills as I keep my eyes
straight ahead.
Balancing on one leg at times,
hands in the air
or doubled forward at a racing pace,
gravity and momentum
kept me going.
The cheers from the stands were a boon,
the prize from the kindly judge at the end–
well, it was worth the cold
and the close calamities,
worth the claim on my time
and commitments–worth it all because
I knew that Spring would come.
And sure enough, Spring has come.
Song of Solomon 2:11, 12
~~~~~~~~~~
As often as I can, which has been very seldom the last few months,
I’ve been practicing the discipline of just sitting outside on my deck to look and
listen to the Holy Spirit.
For some reason I thought of ice skating at that moment
(blame Lisha Epperson) and was quite certain the fun was God’s kind of idea.
It was also an apt metaphor for the previous 2 1/2 months my family and I had walked through as my mother in law was slowly passing away.
Lisha, you are to be commended for your mom time on behalf of your beautiful girls…. one o' these days I'm going to skate at Rockefeller Center at Christmas time (or maybe just watch :-)Thanks for reading.
Oh, Diana, I am so grateful you are walking! We are blessed with the small things, yes? thanks for reading.
This poem inspires me to look for our Creator's hand of Fun! in my everyday surroundings. Thanks for sharing these thoughts, and Happy Spring!!
That you thought of me and my girls at the rink is something I will forever hold dear. My girls are preparing for a big ice show this weekend and it's all about costumes and makeup and hair just so. Perfecting their routines and long, late nights at the rink. For many of the reasons you mentioned and so many more I'm grateful for God's gift of the ice (and the rink too) . Have a fabulous weekend!
I love this! And I would l probably love it even more if I could actually ice skate. No can do – the ankles don't hold me up on those blades. At this point, I'm just deeply grateful I can walk, you know?
Yes, it felt like a fun play with words. Thanks for reading, Jennifer.
Spring does come, thankfully! This was a delight to read.