I know a lot of folks are ready for the warmer weather and summer vactions but I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the snow pics on social media today. The disproportionate snowmen, bowls of snowcream, snow angels, and sledding hills are all products of a rare snow event in the south. It’s days like today that become welcomed breaks from the normal routines. It gives dads and moms a chance to play with their kids rather than watch them through a chainlinked fence or from the bleachers. It creates opportunites for memories to be created that will never be forgotten. So who cares if we have to shut things down in the south because of a little snow or ice…it’s something that creates an excitement than most love in one way or another…even if we don’t admit it out loud.
Peace!
Pastor Marty
So I went snowboarding last week with my son-in-law, Colby, and his friend, Jonathan. These guys are half my age and I went with the complete understanding that they would probably be waiting around on me all day since they are much better than I am. With that in mind, we got to the slopes, bundled up, strapped our boards to our feet and headed down the first little hill, the bunny slope (more about this hill later). I was determined to pay close attention to what I was doing and do the basic things necessary to keep myself upright rather than face down. I wasn’t too aggressive and as the day progressed, I was happy that I was able to hang with these guys as long as I didn’t try the jumps and other “daredevil” things that they were somewhat successful at.
As we walked to the designated area for strapping on the board to head to the next lift, I noticed there was a young teenage boy and girl who appeared to be in the very beginning stages of their snowboarding adventures. In my mind I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to display what it looks like for an “old man” to outdo a couple of “yungins.” So I quickly kicked my feet into my bindings and stood up and headed off for this display of competence. About half way down the bunny slope I allowed the edge of my board to get caught up in some soft snow and I lurched forward and planted myself facedown in the snow. I bounced up as quickly as possible and took off only to do almost the same thing again for all to see. I thought to myself, “What the heck are you doing wrong?!?!” Then I realized, in my overconfidence, I had neglected the basics. Once again, I stood up and headed off for an enjoyable afternoon with no breaks and only a few more falls.