Mother Nature is in a mood!

After two years of covid Christmas cancellations, Mother Nature decided to mess up the holidays for a whole lot of people this year. A nasty blizzard blew through much of Ontario (and other parts of Canada and the US) in the days before Christmas, leaving many people stranded in places they did not want to be. Flights cancelled, trains de-railed, highways closed, widespread power outages, and multi-car pile-ups…it was not pretty out there. While the storm caused a lot of problems, it also brought out the best in people. Many of those with power offered their homes, food and water to those without.

Thankfully, Nick made it home before the storm blew in, but for the third year in a row our family Christmas gathering got cancelled at the last minute. In this case, at least, it’s only been postponed and we’ll travel to see Ray’s mom and my family later this week.

We were lucky enough not to lose power (unlike many in this area) so we stayed warm and cozy inside…or at least I did. Ray bundled up and braved the elements to take Juno out for a romp in the apple orchard.

Bill and Lorrie made a spur-of-the-moment decision to invite a few neighbours over for some Christmas cheer, which helped to lighten the mood.

I’d borrowed a couple of jigsaw puzzles from Josée earlier in the week, which came in very handy during the storm. I love puzzles but I don’t do them often for the simple reason that once I start I’m a bit obsessive about finishing. I’ve seen people who have a puzzle table in their home or cottage and work away at it over time. I love the idea of that, but I can’t figure out how they leave the puzzle sitting there unfinished and then just go about their lives as usual. [I have the same issue with chocolate. Once I start, I have to complete the job or its presence haunts me.]

If you’ve ever done a puzzle, you’ve probably reached that point where you’re looking for a specific piece and you’d be willing to bet your life that the piece is missing. “There is NO WAY that piece is in here.” More often than not, you’re wrong. The piece is there, but it doesn’t look the way you thought it would, or you had another piece in the wrong spot.

It may sound silly, but I’ve recalled that lesson often in life. No matter how much I believe something to be true, there’s a good chance I’m wrong. Something I assume is right, may not be, and is preventing me from figuring out the solution. I don’t have the whole picture yet. I remind myself how really, really sure I’ve been that a puzzle piece wasn’t there when it was. Puzzle Philosophy 101.

Nick has been keeping busy applying for summer jobs, catching up on schoolwork and, of course, working out daily. It’s been great having him around for an extended period of time. His optimism (which borders on the pathological) is always helpful when things don’t go according to plan. He walked in the sunroom during the blizzard, looked outside at the gusts of swirling snow blowing past the window at 90 km/hr, and described it as ‘picturesque’. Not the word I’d have used, but you do you kid.

Wishing you all a holiday season full of light and laughter. I’m grateful to those of you who have chosen to follow along and listen to my random thoughts about life this year.

(I got a new puzzle for Christmas – gotta go!)