Mark Twain once said something to the effect that if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait five minutes. If this were ever true, it has been true this winter in Maine. We had multiple large snowfalls followed often by very warm thaws. This was particularly frustrating to me, as I love to ski cross country, and it often seemed that when I finally had the time, the conditions were not conducive. It frustrated me all the more since last winter there was such little snow that I did not ski once. Furthermore, our 11 year old daughter Rose has taken an interest in skiing, and I’ve wanted to get her out on the trails, too.
So on Thursday of last week we decided to throw our skis in the van and stop at Sebago Lake State Park on our way home. This worked out better than we could have imagined. We had the entire state park to ourselves, the conditions were excellent – though icy in places, which only made it more fun – and the weather was just cold enough. We skied four miles through the woods, often going back over downhill grades to enjoy the exhilaration the combination of gravity and minimal friction creates when your feet are strapped to two wooden planks.
As we were skiing I realized how blessed I was to have an opportunity to share something that has been special to me for the last 35 years with one of my girls. Rose has a good stride and good balance and could become a good skier with time. One of the best things about our day was she was teachable. She wanted to learn how to do it better and respected my skill and experience as a cross-country skier. It was a precious father / daughter moment, and as a father of two other girls, both now in college, I can testify that these moments are far too few. Rose and I simply enjoyed each other for the afternoon with no expectations or tasks or schedules hanging over us.
As a father it made me realize how our Heavenly Father must want these moments with His kids, too: times when we just enjoy being in His presence with no specific tasks that ‘need’ to be done, blessed silence all around, nothing to distract us, just us learning to be more like Him as He takes pleasure in our child-like awe and admiration. As precious as my time with Rose was that afternoon, the paternal nature of God is infinitely stronger and purer than mine, and how He must rejoice when He has those moments with us!
Less than a week since our outing it is now warm and rainy – it seems like Mark Twain is right again – and the snow is melting rapidly. I am forever thankful for the afternoon we had at the state park Thursday, and I eagerly look forward to when we can have such a holy time together again.