After church yesterday we had a few errands to run and the forecast was for cold temperatures to be moving into the area. Jon had planned to stay in town and go to his youthgroup meeting later in the evening but we decided he should return home with us. At around 11 a.m. it began snowing off and on as we made our way around town. At the local farm store (we stopped to pick-up chicken feed) we ran into some local Amity parents one of whom had just come from Portland. He said he had been stuck in traffic for 3 hours and had seen some 30-40 car wrecks! Great, just what we needed to hear, especially because we knew Adam probably had to work and he doesn't have snow tires on his little truck. We finished up our errands and made it home and the thermometer said 39 degrees.....hey where is all this cold weather?
After lunch we did some chores outside and I finished up the calenders, still the temp was around 37 degrees. Cody, Jon and I sat down to a game of hearts and between hands we checked on the temperature as it began to snow outside. 35....34......32...it was dropping fast. By the time dinner was over it was 30 degrees and still dropping. The boys and I went out and tried the sled but the snow was very powdery so we hiked and messed around for a bit. There was about 4" of snow and the gravel road to our house was deserted with no cars attempting to come or go. We came inside to warm up and looked at the thermometer.....27 degrees!
We warmed up and decided maybe a movie would be a good idea, so we picked out "The Man from Snowy River". By now it was 24 degrees. Lorelei, Cody and I sat down to watch and Jon was checking his email. About 7:30 I glanced out the front window to see some shadowed figures approaching the house. Now I knew that someone had not driven up so I reasoned that it must be neighbors. I recognized Nic (neighbor up the road and Jon's teammate) but some of the 6 or 7 faces I did not recognize. Nic peered in the window and hollered to see if Jon wanted to come outside. As the kids waited outside, I could see that more than half of them were girls and we eventually pieced together names and where they lived from their faces. There were giggles and laughter while they waited for Jon.
Jon made it outside and the kids milled around a bit while Jon found a sled (not really a sled, but a "knee board" intended to be pulled behind a boat). Off they went, 7 or 8 teenage boys and girls with one sled and smiles on their faces.
Now after thinking about this, several things are interesting to me. Most of these kids have nothing in common! These kids rarely, apart from school ever associate with one another. They are different ages and from different belief systems. Several of them had to walk over a mile in the snow in 24 degree weather just to get to our house! Yet for this one evening they joined together and enjoyed one anothers company and laughed and talked and were just kids enjoying simple pleasures. No tv, no video games, no hurrying to be anywhere at a certain time. A bunch of young people....one sled....and some snow.
I wish adults could act this way more often!
Glynn Jr.
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