A winter wonderland

Like all of my neighbors, I awoke to a blanket of snow covering the ground this morning. For this time of the year, not much surprise when I look back over the years that I have lived in Minnesota. Each late fall and winter brings the prospect of snow and all the beauty and hazard that means. The change that seems to come with age though is that now instead of first considering the beauty which in fact is quite breathtaking, my first thoughts move quickly toward considering how difficult it will be to drive anywhere today. In addition, with two of my children now licensed drivers and a third soon to take on that status, I find myself always concerned with how they will react to conditions that cause drivers to focus more on the basics of driving like

• slowing down
• not following too closely
• deliberately braking with caution

Sounds to me like my membership in "ol' codgerville" is getting more active each year. I really do appreciate God's beautiful handiwork in the snow filled trees and white blanketed landscapes; I just wish that He would keep the canvas of the roadways blank.