Perseverance and Courage in Overcoming Overwhelming Obstacles to Prepare For a Historic Snowstorm
After facing obstacles and nearly quitting, God answered my desperate prayers and saved us from a threatening situation.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
A huge storm is bearing down on us this morning from the vast Pacific that we have been warned will bring heavy rain and thick snow today, tonight and tomorrow and the next day down to even low elevations.
We keep getting “Winter Storm Warnings” on our phones, which say “Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 17 inches. Winds gusting to 55 mph. Travel could be very difficult to impossible in very hazardous conditions.” The later warnings say “Upcoming snow and Ice for next three days.”
We are paying attention, as we have never received such intense warnings before.
Snow is rare here, with many winter’s passing without any falling in the high mountain valley where we live. It does cover the peaks of the mountains surrounding this long, wide valley in mantles of white which stay through these long months of wind and wet, but rarely reaches us before turning to cold rain.
I am doing everything I can to prepare. After covering our wood piles and tractor with thick tarps, and loading our big 4 by 4 truck with all the firewood making tools, I am about to head out into the gathering storm to a one of our harvest sites to bring home as much wood as I can.
I can feel the teeth of this storm starting to gnash and snarl, causing me to treat it with the caution and respect it deserves.
Its already biting cold, with blustery winds starting to howl.
If we were already well stocked with firewood, I would probably be sitting at my window seat, sipping espresso and watching the storm come in.
But I have long ago trained myself to do whatever must be done when it needs to be done, without regret or complaint.
Saint Francis often told his disciples “Never pray for an easy life with all the comforts, but for one of constant challenges and difficulties which can only be met and overcome with an ever deeper reliance on God through constant prayer and supplication which brings growth to the soul, strength to your mind and humble persistence to your character….”
Here on Still Mountain as it is, we are in no danger of falling into the vagaries of an easy life, but like swords, are constantly being sharpened by challenging circumstances.
We are warriors in our own way, and winners too for we always do whatever must be done with a cheerful, overcoming attitude.
Lao Tzu says, “Perseverance furthers” and I find that it certainly does as long as I keep on persevering when challenges test my resolve and circumstances may seem overwhelming.
But, now, my break is over and its time to launch into the teeth of the storm.
Photo Credit: Dawa Fitzmaurice
Late afternoon…
I have just returned to Still Mountain with a very full truck of much needed firewood… which is a sweet victory in overcoming a series of obstacles that I ran into almost as soon as I left the shelter of my tiny house this morning.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
After writing those brave statements about the power of Perseverance, it was almost as if the universe set out to test my resolve and teach me further lessons in spiritual warrior hood.
By the time I got our big Four by Four truck loaded, wet snow was already falling and the temperature was dropping fast.
Just as I got to our main gate, the truck coughed and died suddenly. It is well maintained, and normally very reliable, but it now refused to start, even as I cranked it over and over.
I realized that not only was it now dead, but also blocking our main gate so we couldn’t get any other vehicles into our yard…and that there was nothing I could do about it.
With the storm getting worse by the second, I knew I had to do something quick to save the situation. I decided to transfer all the tools and equipment to our much smaller Ranger pick up and still push to go get the wood we definitely needed to ride out this storm.
We do have a back gate that is rarely used, but when I got to it, I found that the keys to its lock were lost. I got a big bolt cutter from our shop and tried to cut the lock off, but the cold wet slush and my freezing hands made it nearly impossible.
After several attempts, I did reach a point where I was so cold, so wet and up against so many difficulties that I actually considered quitting and retreating to the warmth and safety of my tiny house.
But then I heard the divine whispering “perseverance furthers” and felt the urgency of our situation—we are about to be snowed in and absolutely have to have firewood to keep the fire in our hearth going.
With renewed determination, I slammed against the long handles of the bolt cutter with my whole body…and it finally sliced through the lock, allowing me to open the creaky back gate, and get the Ranger out of the yard.
After transferring everything I needed for this mission from our dead Four by Four to the Ranger, I headed out to go to the harvest site.
To get there, I had to climb up a steep grade and through the high mountain pass that is the gateway to our valley and then 15 miles down into the next valley.
That pass is the highest point on the highway for a thousand miles and would be the first place to be closed to travel when the snow gets too deep.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
As I was heading towards the pass, big blobs of wet snow were straining the windshield wipers as they tried to keep the glass clear.
I had a moment of seeing the real possibility of getting over the mountain pass, but then having snow fall so much that I wouldn’t be able to get home again.
That would be disastrous and dangerous as I have no place to go, or the funds to pay for a hotel to ride out the coming storm for a few days.
In desperation, I prayed to the divine for help and asked that we be given a gap in the storm where it would clear just long enough for me to harvest the wood we needed and get back home safely.
The inner guide instantly assured me that my request would be granted and to continue on the mission…and that is what happened. The snow stopped falling, the skies lightened, the temperatures rose, as the wind and wet disappeared.
I felt the presence of the divine with me, energizing and guiding me, as I drove to the harvest site and in way less time that usual, was able to split the huge rounds into smaller pieces and rapidly load the truck to its full capacity.
With the divine’s help, we turned discouragement and possible defeat into victory and I was able to return home safely with all the wood we need before the snow started falling again.
As my prayer warrior Grandmother often said, “God helps those who help themselves, who are determined, who won’t quit and who pray through for the help they need.”
Photo Credit: Still Mountain Meditation Center
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