...Digging Out from Under...

I’ve lost it!!

You know the cord that attaches my digital camera to my computer so I can download pictures. It may be under a pile of laundry, or hidden in a drawer somewhere but it is definitely not where it is supposed to be - which is, by the way, in the camera bag. I have looked all over and even offered the kids $5 if they could find it... but it seems that little grey cord does not want to make an appearance at this party. Which means friends, that you will all have to use your imagination for now.

Think of a taupe mini-van covered in a blanket of white and sunk deep in the snow that is our driveway. Think of a big blue tractor with a yellow rope attached to the front as it pulls, and pulls the poor little van out of the driveway. Yeah - its free! Then the next picture has the snowblower on the back of the above mentioned blue tractor blowing out our driveway in a fog of powdery crystals. You might just see the sun shining and reflecting happily on the snow oh, neighbours helping people get out of drifts and kids in their pajamas cheering through the windows for today is yet another "SNOW DAY!!" for them. In the middle of it all is my darling husband.

Yesterday we got a wonderful treat for our anniversary. A snow day. Husband, wife, the four kids, dog & cat stuck inside all day. It was the kind of bliss you can only experience after so many years together.

Before I go on... I noted yesterday that the highway to the place we got married has been closed just about every March 5 since that time. The year we got married the day was sunny, warm and beautiful... just goes to show you God’s perfect timing in everything!

I’ve learned after all these years that humor is a vital component in marriage. Learning to laugh at ourselves and each other is important. I’ve been laughing at my husband a bit these days and threatened to BLOG HIM... here it goes.

The first snowfall of the year dawned - the kids were excited and C, by 12 year old son, wanting to make some money asked if he could shovel the driveway instead of the tractor. We agreed to pay him the going rate and I watched him lug out the shovel and clean out our rather large driveway.

Then the snow really started to fall.

Daily it piled up and the initial entreprenuerial ambition of C waned. I suggested to my husband that maybe we should ask the guy with the snow-blower to do it. My suggestion was filed under "R" for ridiculous. Ridiculous to pay someone to clean it out when I can just drive really fast and make a path through it.

Which, I may explain, is like a Disney ride, complete with the flying snow all around us.
Maybe, I thought, he just needs that adreneline pumping bit of fun everyday. There were worse pursuits I could think of.

But really - we should pay to have the snowblower come and clean the driveway out. However, don’t tell husband that ‘cause as I have learned - it’s a bit of a touchy subject!!

Even if people get stuck.

The first one was a guy who came to bring his tax return. He drives a big pick-up truck and was really suprised that husband could drive through it. I laughed and wondered if he would be the one to bring reason to my man...

Then, our dog got out and into the neighbours garbage (if any of them read this we are soooo sorry btw!!). The dog catcher came to the door to give us a warning...slap on the hand...stern-look. He went back to get in his truck and got STUCK. Yup, I peeked through the curtains as a neighbour came, hooked him up to his car, helped him shovel and pulled him out. I told husband when he came home. "Well, if he couldn’t get out he shoulda parked on the road!" was the response...

Then more snow fell and husband got stuck. A kind neighbour came over and tried to pull him out only to get stuck also.

"Honey." I said that night - thinking this was a teachable moment. "Maybe we should call the guy with the snowblower." But alas, in his eyes the driveway was just perfect.
Another morning and another afternoon our friendly neighbours came over and shovelled around tires and pulled husband's van out of the driveway... but still no call to the snowblower guy.

Then yesterday, just ahead of the roads closing husband and Little T came home. The snow was so bad that he couldn’t see to get in the garage - which turned out to be a non-issue because he got stuck halfway up the driveway. Which is where the van sat, through the storm, until morning.

This morning dawned sunny and bright. Our poor little van awash in snow. The neighbours pulled on their winter clothes and peeked out to see if husband needed to be pulled out yet again. [They are sooo polite these neighbours. Not once have they suggested that maybe - just maybe, he could have the driveway cleaned out so the whole crew could get to work on time!] Neighbours came over and shovelled around the tires, hoooked up the rope and pulled - but alas...this was the time our van would not budge.

In the distance was - yup you guessed it - the snowplow guy and his BIG BLUE TRACTOR!! I did a little happy dance - got out my camera for pictures of the big event. Blue tractor pulled our van out of the driveway and began to blow all the snow far into my front yard. The kids stood by the window mesmerized. They had seen other neighbours get their driveways cleaned but NEVER at our house...this was a special event.

Husband came in, looked out the window, smiled sheepishly and said, "That was easy - I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing that earlier!"

That’s why I love the guy!

The whole thing got me thinking. How many times do we find ourselves letting everything pile up in our own driveway of life. We make excuses and push down our problem like the snow. Layer after layer finally builds until we realize we can’t make it through. Our own little shovel won’t make a dent in the mess. It's only then we finally call for help. Admit that all we’ve left undone has overwhelmed our lives and we just can’t do it on our own. We look up sheepishly and realize that help, a loving Heavenly father, was there all the time - if we’d just made the call.
Here’s to us all learning how to dig out the easy way! And an early spring...