It has been an interesting 2 weeks in East TN for sure! I can’t remember a time when we have canceled school for 2 weeks straight due to continuous snow and ice invasions. We all have fond memories of snow events from our childhood. I recall our house being grand central station with snow cream in the kitchen, the dryer in constant motion drying wet clothes, sleds all over the driveway, and the most fabulous event of all…..night sledding down the infamous Armstrong Hill! Snow always brought a new level of excitement in the Dean household, and no one loved it more than the Baptist Rabbi.
Over the past 2 weeks, we have witnessed organizations shut down due to the treacherous weather. That never happened at our house. We were never afforded the opportunity to call in to our part time jobs due to the weather. Dad would make sure that we got there, and he would offer to pick up anyone who may be hoping to use the snow as an excuse to opt out of work! I rarely recall church ever being canceled due to the weather. Dad would hop in the car and open it up for anyone who wanted to worship. Dad could never sit idle in the snow. He could always find a reason to go tackle the ailments. It was a challenge he just couldn’t turn down. And he was known a time or two to take Chris out on the roads for a few rounds of doughnuts!
Of course, Dad being the fabulous Dad he was, could even use a snow event to teach lessons. One day, he decided he was going to teach us the proper way to walk on ice. Yes, ice. He put on wool socks to demonstrate to us that how the socks would stick to the ice, creating a safe environment for travel. He confidently put on the socks, carefully explaining the science behind this safety trick. With his head held high, he exited the back door and stepped onto the concrete patio. He took his first step of demonstration. Then it happened……he took a leap of faith that ended up as a tumble of terror. His feet immediately slipped out from under him and his head crashed flat onto the concrete of ice!!! As I hear of all the injuries that have happened on the ice in the past few weeks, it is a shear miracle that he survived. Still to this day, we are pretty sure he ended up with a concussion. But for those of you who know my Dad, he is very hard headed. There would be no trips to the doctor.
This past week, Dad once again ventured out in the inclement weather to get Cameron, his grandson, a birthday card. He knew the roads were icy. As he exited the car, he strategically planned his steps to safely enter Food City. He successfully traveled over the ice to the front doors. He discussed his strategy for safely making the trip. He planned his steps carefully to try to hit areas of the concrete that had melted or had turned into slush. For those of you who are wondering, he did not have on his wool socks! He is definitely one to learn from experience, so he had on his hiking boots! He got the needed supplies and returned to the car. As he lifted one leg to get in the car, his other foot slipped. Down he went. Only this time, he could not get up alone. The ice was much too slippery. A good samaritan saw him fall and quickly came to his rescue. No injuries, other than his pride. Would this be enough to keep him from braving the snow and ice? I think you already know the answer.
Snow and ice present challenges. It demands a certain respect. We can create certain strategies and plans to help us tackle the icy conditions, but they are not fool proof. At times we are bound to fall. At times, our pride is bound to take a tumble. But the ice has never kept my Dad from attempting to live while it is present. One fall did not keep him down. And I am willing to bet that the most recent fall will not alter his viewpoints. At times, life gets icy. Traveling the road can be tricky and requires us to implement a completely different skill set to effectively maneuver through it. Sometimes, we think one strategy will be effective, and we simply fall on our hard heads. Other times, we are as careful as we can be, and we still fall on our hiney! At some point, our pride will simply hit rock bottom. Sam Dean has taught me that a few falls should never stop us from living. A few hits on our pride should not stop us from standing back up and walking with our head held high. Life’s ice is dangerous. But when we take a fall, there is opportunity to learn new approaches to effectively tackle the next storm.
