Which Is It?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊

Like much of the United States, Alabama got a deep freeze this week. We got light snow and a lot of sleet on Sunday night. This was followed by 5 – 7” of snow and then more sleet. For more than 3 days the temperature never got above freezing. And yes, I am mindful that people in North Dakota and the like are laughing at this “light storm” however to those of us in the South, this is a really big deal…shutting everything down. No school, no work, and the town is barely moving. Here is the question; what is it, a blessing or a curse? Good or bad? Something to enjoy or dread?

Let me share a real-life example that perfectly illustrates the two, drastically different, ways we tend to look at it. Late Monday morning, after a few inches of snow had fallen, and more was falling, I took my Chocolate Lab, Lexus, for a walk. She loved it. She wagged her tail the entire time and walked like a dog on a mission. Later in the day, Payton took her out in the back yard and played. He threw snow in her face, and she tried to catch it. She ran back and forth, over and over again, through the snow, having a blast. Any time anyone went near a door she wanted to go out and play. I ended up taking her on a 2^nd walk.

And then there is my sweet Beagle, Chloe. Chloe was so excited to go for her walk. She waited patiently as I put her harness on and then she excitedly pranced through the garage. As we exited the garage and her paws touched, and sank into the snow, she made it about 5’ and stopped. Complete halt, one front paw still up in the air, refusing to touch the snow again. I tried to encourage her to come on and she looked at me like I had lost my mind. She wanted no part of walking in the snow. Later, when Payton and Lexus were playing in the snow, she ventured out onto the back porch, quickly ran to Payton, and sat in his lap for about 30 seconds and then sprinted back into the house. To say Chloe is not a fan of the snow would be an understatement!

So, what is it? As with many things in life, I guess it all depends on how we choose to look at it. You and I can sit down and come up with a list of a lot of blessings, the good, and the joy that comes from a snowstorm. Likewise, we could come up with a list of the curses, the bad, and the things to dread. It is the epitome of what we choose to look for, the perspective we choose to take!

I chose to look for and embrace the blessings, the good, and the joy that this storm could bring. Perhaps it is because I am reading the John C. Maxwell 101 Collections that I told you all about last week and the section I am currently reading is about attitude. I decided to intentionally choose to embrace this “storm” and to wring every bit of goodness out of it that I could find. I want to share a few blessings that I have lived because of this intentional choice.

Last year I set a goal to ride a stationary bike a really long distance. This year I am still going to ride the bike however I also plan to walk a significant distance. As I stated in my “Happy Friday” titled “It Takes What It Takes,” our goals don’t care about things like snowstorms. I am going to have to walk a certain number of miles per day for the entire year if I am going to achieve my goal. So, I got bundled up and off I went. I wish I had the words to adequately describe to you all the beauty I experienced as I walked on Monday. I walked through the most beautiful snowstorm I have ever seen! There were snowflakes that must have been 2” wide. It was beautiful, majestic, and I fully realized at that moment how truly blessed I am.

For those of you who are blessed to have young children who still live at home, I want to encourage you to truly cherish every day. I know full well how challenging it can be sometimes and at the same time, I wish I could adequately communicate how quickly the time goes. Please cherish them…the days are long, but the years are short. Before you know it, there will be no more games or programs to run to, there will be no more homework, and there will be a time in your home when the silence is deafening…unless you are blessed to get a snowstorm! All the boys were at the house on Monday. They got the 4-wheeler, a rope, and a sled out. They wanted to know if I wanted to play…do I want to play?!?! We took turns pulling each other on the sled. We went fast, we went in circles, we wiped out, we laughed…I might not remember a lot of days as I grow older however I will not forget the time I got to play with my boys in the snow in 2024!

You know you are loved, that you are something special, when you bless someone simply by your presence. Over several days this past week, my life has been so richly blessed by my Beautiful Bride, my 3 Tender Warriors, and my soon to be Daughter-In-Love simply by their presence. You see, this snowstorm has shut down everything in our town. There has been no work, no school, and there is really no place to run off to. Everything has stopped, like God hit a pause button. We have shared more meals, played cards, talked, watched movies, and just spent quality time together than at any time in a really long time. You want to talk about blessing a dads heart…just by their presence! And here is the thing, I fully recognized and appreciated this great blessing as it was occurring. I wouldn’t change a thing, I just wanted to live fully present.

So, which is it? To me this storm was one of the greatest blessings I ever remember receiving. I will cherish the memories that have been created for a lifetime and I plan to be intentional to learn lessons from it. There will be other storms – both of nature and of life. Each time I will have to answer the question – which is it? With God’s guiding I pray I will choose to embrace each storm and that I will decide to intentionally choose to embrace the “storm” and wring every bit of goodness out of it that I can find. I am very mindful that whatever attitude I choose, the storms will come. I am equally mindful that it is the attitude I choose that will determine how I live through the storm, and the man that I become on the other side of it.

I want to close this Happy Friday with a quote that I came across earlier this week. I think it might be the most accurate quote about how I intend to live my life.

“The most “whole” thing I do every day is to take responsibility for my attitude, actions, and behaviors. And, no matter what challenges come my way, to view those challenges as opportunities to triumph. To be victorious. To show the love of God. To be grateful.” – Sandra C. Bibb

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well! 😊

Kev