Life, that is.
From the "other side" of the big mountain, welcome to this new week. It's not just cold outside here in the very early morning hours. It's freezing cold. The temperature on the weather app of my phone says that we are at 12 degrees here in Montrose and with clear skies around us, we had to figure it would be at this low of a temperature over night. Before we went to sleep last night, we left a trickle of water running in the bathroom and the kitchen sinks. Waking up to frozen pipes is never fun and having been there and definitely done that in previous years, I'm glad to not have to deal with it today. Our friends and family back in Reno and Sedgwick Counties of Kansas are sitting at only slightly warmer than we are. Funny how six degrees more can look good on a day like this one.
When we were kids growing up back on the farm in south central Kansas, wintertime was not a fun thing to endure. Our home, south of Haven, was an old two-story farmhouse that my parents bought and remodeled. It was a great house and I loved living there. The only problem, at least in the winter time, was that there was no heat upstairs and our 4 bedrooms were always so cold on winter nights such as these. Mom put electric blankets on all of our beds one winter and that seemed to help but man, once you got ready for bed you stayed put. Getting dressed in the morning for school was quickly turned into a 90 second event in January. You knew what you were going to wear ahead of time and you put it on. There was no changing your mind mid-stream for a new shirt or a different pair of jeans. It was too dang cold for that. We didn't freeze to death from sleeping upstairs. We only thought that we would.
The "official" start of winter is still over a month away but as usual, in the "dance of the seasons" winter always seems to like to cut in early. I feel sorry for poor Autumn every once in a while. To me it always seems to be the season that is short changed a bit and once winter sets in, it doesn't seem to want to leave at its appointed time on the calendar. Kind of bossy and a little pushy but in order to enjoy the other three seasons, we must endure this upcoming one. Even when it seems to drag on and on and on, winter cannot last forever. It only seems as if it can.
"The 22" and I were talking the other day about making sure that they knew where their caps and gloves were before they walked out the door and started to school each day. I hate to see tiny little hands frozen or noses and ears bright red from the coldness of the day. Here in Montrose over the weekend, one of our local thrift stores gave away free coats, caps and gloves to any child who could use them. It did my heart so good to see it as we drove by on our way to the store. Lots of people with little children in tow took advantage of the kindness offered by the owners of the store. I hope that many of our children in the Montrose County School District will be much warmer now. Back home in Hutchinson, Kansas there is a program called "Coats for Kids", an annual event where folks can donate their good coats that they no longer need to little ones and big ones alike who would not have the chance to have one to wear. My friends, whether I'm here in Colorado or back in Kansas, the same can be said. It's does "take a village" to be sure that children everywhere are ok and making sure that they have warm coats on their backs with accompanying gloves and hats is a big part of it.
The days of November are so quickly flying by us and already we have found the 17th day of this month. Soon Mike and I will be making the trip back over the big mountain and down to the other side to a wonderful place called "KANSAS". Yesterday we sat down to try and figure out what we will do each day during the time there and although we didn't get very far, we at least got a few things lined out. I am most grateful for the chance to return back there to my old home and to see all the family and friends that I have missed so very much. This time when I go back, I'm sure I will find some things that have changed since I moved away. Having left there 18 months ago, that things would perhaps be different is inevitable. Change is not always a bad thing.
The clock says "5:00" a.m. and that it's time to get a move on. Somewhere up the road a few miles, the little people that I will share my day with today are sound asleep in their beds. I hope everyone is warm and cozy, dreaming of wonderful things for their life ahead. They are little and innocent, amazing "works" of a Creator who made them. I love them very much and even when they have to sometimes see the "cranky Mrs. Renfro", they still know that I care about them with all of my heart. The only job they have this day is to come to school and do their best. I encourage them to just "be kids" and enjoy their young lives to the fullest. They will grow up someday and that day will come soon enough. Much too quickly for their parents, sad to say but ever so true.
And so it goes.
Life that is.
No comments:
Post a Comment