Seattle Snow Storm

What is up with the weather?

The Seattle area has been so drenched in rain all month, records have been broken.

Today I stayed home from work. But, it wasn’t because I was sick. The reason? SNOW.

Come on, people! This is supposed to be an area where temperatures are moderate and winters come and go without being noticed.

I grew up in the Midwest, so I’ve lived the majority of my life with cold winters accompanied by a lot snow. I was used to driving in blizzards and didn’t think much of it.

The year I moved to this area I was shocked to learn that with a “dusting” of snow, schools were closed and people were abandoning their cars in the streets to walk to their destinations. I questioned as to whether I had moved to a state where the inhabitants were much weaker than the hardy Scandinavians back in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Hmmm…lesson learned here? One should not be too quick to judge. I quickly discovered that snow wasn’t the cause of people reacting in ways that had made me snicker. The real culprit was BLACK ICE. This tricky ice, hard to discern whether it’s really ice or just water on the pavement, is the cause of many nightmares. Add steep hills to the mix and…well, you get the picture. It isn’t pretty.

Last night as I drove home from work, I experienced the worst snow storm I can remember. Large hail changed into snow, accompanied by thunder and lightening. Traffic on the busy three lane highway came to a halt because of a major accident ahead of us. Once we maneuvered three lanes down to one and wove our way through the mess, we drove in a single line down the highway at twenty miles an hour. I may never experience that again. It felt surreal…

I got off the highway, drove the rest of the way on dark country roads, and was relieved when I reached home safely.

Today we woke to news reports of roads being covered with sheets of ice and encouragement to stay home. I took the advice... It was great.

It's easy to fall into the pattern of running through life. Until something out of our control – like a snow storm – stops us in our tracks. Then it doesn’t matter what we THINK needs to be done, it’s not going to happen.

But, we can decide if we’re going to become anxious about it, or sit back and enjoy the ride, however brief it may be.

God? This snow storm…
Were you trying to tell us something?

Wondering if the roads will be icy enough to stay home again tomorrow,
Dawn