The Storm Report – Part 3/3
Well, the storm hit with about 1/2” of ice under 15” of snow. If I remember the report, it was the third highest snow fall recorded for Topeka since 1900.
It was fairly early on Saturday that the call was made to cancel the in-person service on Sunday. It was an unusual experience watching Patrick give his sermon from his wife’s office at their home but, man, what a great service. I watched in my jammies (another first for me). The rest of Sunday was me watching the snow fall and getting progressively more worried about how I was going to clear the driveway. You see, I have some physical restrictions that currently that include weight limits and other activity prohibitions. This apprehension increased when I saw the county plow come through and leave a nice higher pile of snow at the end of my driveway.
We have a battery-operated snow broom (shoots snow in front of the broom and is only about 6” tall). So, Monday morning, I went out to clear a path on the side walk and started to look for someone that could come and plow my driveway. In the process of taking layers of snow off the sidewalk, I took a step off the edge of the sidewalk and one foot went two steps down (the other foot was on the upper level). I tried to pull my leg up but couldn’t. I ended up moving the other leg down and crawling on my hands and knees to the house steps where I could pull myself up.
It was then I realized that I couldn’t plow my driveway myself. My next-door neighbor offered to use my mower with its attached blade to plow the drive. I was heading out to the garage when I saw a different neighbor on a utility vehicle with a hydraulic blade doing my neighbor’s driveway. I made arrangements for him to do my driveway.
The situation was difficult for me because it made me feel old. A year ago, I was riding my lawnmower blade combo up to an elderly neighbor’s house to do their driveway (they moved into a retirement home last spring). I suddenly went from helping others to needing others to help me.
“Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” - Matthew 25:32-46 ESV
I was blessed that one of my neighbors took time to help me out. This is what we are called to do.
“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’” - Mark 12:28-31
But what I walked away from my experience yesterday was how difficult it is for the person who needs assistance to receive it. Hopefully, I’ll physically recover and won’t be hampered by limitations and if I do, I plan on continuing to help others but be a little more cognizant of how hard it is for that person to accept that he or she needs help.
