The Back Page
By Sue Ferguson
It is the last day of January and yet another cold winter day here in Norfolk County. Today the sun is nicely shining, and the snow is glistening, but when you step outside that cold air hits you and almost feels like it is cutting your skin. The sound that the snow makes when you walk on it has a different kind of “crunch” when it is this chilly. It is a sound that can only be heard when it is minus 15 feeling like minus 21. Mom and I have been walking Bennett, but he has been wearing his boots and even he knows that this is a prerequisite if he wants to walk these days. My friend from the gym recently sent me a meme that said “If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but the same amount of snow.” It has been a long winter thus far, but there are only 50 more days until spring!
Back in November, I was blessed to have been invited by a generous friend to go on a trip to Barbados in January. There would be 4 ladies going, and it would be a 6 day vacation. I don't often do many trips without my husband, but when I talked to Shane about it, he encouraged me to go. God blessed me with a very supportive and kind husband. I haven't often gone south in the winter, but I remember as a kid we did go to Florida sometimes over the Christmas break. My Mom was a teacher, so we could only travel during the “expensive” times, even though as a kid you never think of it that way. You are just in the moment thinking about going to Disney World and how it is so awesome your hotel will have a pool. By the way, thanks Mom and Dad for taking us south on all of those vacations!
I am so glad I said “yes” to travelling south with my friends in the midst of this long winter and our busy life. The island was beautiful, and the people were so friendly and kind. I am sure all of you know what beautiful souls we have in the Forde family of our church, and being in Barbados we were surrounded by the same loving and kind people everywhere we went. The island itself is the size of Norfolk County, and the beaches are full of fine white sand. Nobody there seems to worry too much about being on time or in a hurry. I think I like the island life. Both the warmth of the sun, the rest, and the beauty of my travel companions filled my cup. The ocean was like a never ending wave pool. I found myself floating in the 86 degree water and it was a great place to talk with Jesus. I usually say my prayers on my cold walk with the dog in the early morning, but this was a welcome change. It is amazing what a little sun and rest can do for the body and soul. I came back refreshed and ready to tackle the couple of months of winter that lie ahead of us.
Being back now in the dead of winter is a shock, but I am ever grateful to my friend for inviting me to go to Barbados, and I can easily reflect on those days we spent together there and recall the warmth of the sun on my face and the joy in the simplicity of just enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck. I am grateful to God for giving me opportunities such as these. I love my job although it is busy, but if it wasn't so busy I might not appreciate the down time that I have, so I thank God for that too.
Not everyone can afford to go south to escape the long winter or even have the opportunity to do so. Perhaps they have the means, but no people with whom to share that opportunity. Barbados is just one more place that I have now visited to see the beauty of God's creation not only in nature, but in the people too. There is so much beauty in this world God has created.
I pray for those who will may never have the chance to see even outside of Norfolk County that on the cold days of this long winter you find beauty right where you are. Beauty that will fill your soul and your cup, whether that be through a friend, the kind gesture of a stranger, or the glistening of the snow from the sunny sky above.
