Let it Snow, Let it… Hold on! Stop it now!

This past week has been an astonishing meteorological event. Britain has had snow before Christmas, not only have we had snow but we have had Big snow (as Mr McIntyre likes to put it). The most shocking factor of all though is that it has stayed for more than 48 hours!

There are two distinct ways to view snow, largely separated by age. On the one hand there is the child like wonder, the absolute sheer joy of looking outside the window and knowing that with the outside sprinkled and your persuasive powers there is no way your mother is going to make you go to school. The snow day is the holy grail of bunking off! You don’t get in trouble but you get to skip school and have snow ball fights/go sledging/make snow angels/do whatever ones heart desires. Snow is the bringer of joy (in a non heathen way). On the other hand there is the adult way of looking. In some cases they can be pleased knowing they won’t get to work, but more often than not they need to and this causes stress. Cars slipping and sliding, hours of queues on normally rapid roads. The fear of making it to work, not making it home, having to sleep in one’s car. These two extreme opposites can cause quite a tension in the country as children often throw snowballs at stressed adults. However there is also something beautiful about many adults in a similar stuck position. That is community. Very rarely do you see complete strangers helping each other out, but when snow appears it brings people together. Strangers will push cars of people they don’t know, people will often offer man power to help out others in need. This I love. I left university on Saturday and drove to my grandparents. They live in their very own weather system. They live right on the coast and right between the north sea and the English channel so they get a mixture of weather often entirely different to the rest of the country.

So when I went, Canterbury had had snow the day before but it had disappeared by the time I had left. Thirty minutes of my journey were flawless, vague traces of snow about but nothing to stop you going 70 on a dual carriage way. Then you hit Margate and it’s accompanying blizzard! The council decided gritters were silly so the roads were suddenly a nightmare! The last 6 minutes of my journey took 30! Anyway my father and I then left for Yorkshire which took about six and a half hours with no issues.

Going back to the age thing… I am in a fortunate position. I am effectively an adult. However I have no responsibilities (really), I don’t work, I don’t need to leave my house. This means that snow warms my heart. I love it. I climb the snow laden hills around my house and admire the white (not in a racist way). It also makes a lovely photo opportunity. I took one while at university.

Since I have been in Yorkshire I have not really had to leave my house, although my parents have . They’ve needed to preach and go to carol services and shopping etc. From what I have gathered Yorkshire is doing rather well in the snow. Amusingly though there is no chance of getting cars up and down my drive. My father has not tried so his car is at the top. My mother did try, her car is now stuck halfway up! I decided not to try so my car is sitting at the bottom. Fortunately however we have our Gator. This is the most wonderful all terrain vehicle ever. It looks like a glorified golf buggy. It is. With a massive engine and huge tyres.

Like this but with bigger tyres!

So when my parents need to go anywhere I act as their all terrain chauffeur. I take them down then pick them up when they come back. When they’re not in it there are a couple of great corners for practising power slides! It’s a riot.

I’m loving the snow because of my lack of need to go anywhere. However I do understand that it is causing chaos for many people. I’ve heard of many of my friends getting stuck on roads for hours. Abandoning their vehicles and cancelling plans.    Obviously there are the issues with the channel tunnel and people not being able to go abroad or come home. Snow is not ideal for everyone. What I would like is for the country’s snow just to fall on my house(!) then everyone else would be ok! I hope you all get where you need to go. I hope the snow doesn’t cause you stress or fury.

I leave you with a photo of the pub opposite my grandmothers.

Done for now.

Melanie Update Dec 09

I realised I hadn’t updated this for a while so here’s the December update:

Dear Prayer Partners;

This is a great season for reflection. I am sitting here listening to some of my favorite music and knowing that the God of the Universe sent His son so that I could be in relationship with Him. What a gift. My favorite Christmas Carol is “O Holy Night”. I have a compilation of that song and each track is different and the same; the same words but with different inflection and tone that makes each track unique, and yet the same.

I think that God looks at us, made in His image, and sees the same thing – each one of us is unique and different, yet the same – each of us has hopes and dreams and needs, wants and desires and objectives and goals, different words, inflections, tones and yet the same, His son or daughter. This season is one of Hope – Hope that the world can and will get better – Hope that healing will happen, sooner and more often – Hope that our dreams will come true – Hope that Peace will reign – Hope that you and Melanie and I will once again share a meal. The things hoped for are never in vain, and we wait until those things come to pass. We wait with Hope.

Each of us have battles and victories, some won in public and some in private -- yet it is in the battle that we find His presence the greatest.

So the update on the medical front:

Melanie needed a rod placed in her right femur because of a tumor there. The doctors were concerned that the leg might break and it is easier to be prepared than repaired. So the operation was a success. She has a titanium rod, inside the bone, from hip to knee. The doctor is very pleased and now Melanie is on to radiation on the femur. That treatment will last 10 days and will end on Friday Dec 18^th. The results of the radiation will not be known for several weeks since radiation is accumulative and the effect will take time to notice. This still goes under the heading of “Who thought this one up….?”

Because of the above detour, Melanie’s oncologist is anxious about the other tumors growing in the rest of her body. The ones in her liver and neck are the most noticeable. So with that in mind, and wanting to attack the cancer as soon as possible, Melanie will be starting on a new chemotherapy on Tuesday Dec 22^nd. She will have a treatment a week for at least 4 weeks, with a review at the end of that time.

We will have scans in January to determine the effect of the Gamma Knife, the radiation on her femur and the new chemotherapy. What a way to start the New Year – however we are still confident that Melanie’s healing is close. We might have a great celebration!!

This is the difficulty we all face -- we know things that are supposed to happen and haven’t yet. We wait and are not discouraged because we really trust God in all things. We trust Him to know when, where, how and through whom or what, that thing we wait for will come to pass. The goal is to know Truth and not worry, fear, doubt, be discouraged or hopeless. The goal is to hang on to Him at all times through all seasons. We know that all seasons end -- and then we will be facing something new. And facing that something new, we will be faced with the same difficulty as before. Will we be good reflectors of Jesus, or not?

Our circumstances will not dictate our response to life, our hearts will. And as for me and my house we will Trust and Serve our God in all things, good or bad.

We wish each and everyone of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year.

Serving a Big God,

Dennis, Melanie, Autumn & Jacob & Jet and Monica

From Melanie: If you are on this list, then it is absolutely true that I am hoping to see you again, and share 100 stories and a meal! I am so grateful for the cards and notes that come from y’all.

AND, some of you have come here to be with us!! To help me walk, feed me soup, get me into the bathroom (double and triple THANKS) You get trophies from me….!

I am 4 weeks past the bone surgery, and graduated to walking with a cane. While the surgery came as a shock to us, we are really grateful for it. It’s not that long ago that I was sleepwalking, and banging into corners and door frames, and we see how easily I could have shattered that bone…..YIKES!! (If you’ve ever had bone surgery, you know how difficult it is to “be grateful for it…”)

GOD WAS WATCHING OUT FOR ME, and doing something He often does, GOING AHEAD OF THE NEED!!

I LOVE YOU ALL, AND MISS YOU – HUGELY!

Melanie