ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

Tomorrow is the last day of November and the first Sunday of Advent. As I come to the close of the many things I’m thankful for, it’s time to look ahead to the adventure that awaits. Winter is in full swing up here in Lake Woebegone country. Another winter storm warning is in effect for this weekend and fresh, glistening diamonds will soon dot our landscape. Temperatures are in the low 20s, so I guess you could say we are into the last season of the year. So, today I am thankful for tomorrows. Like Little Orphan Annie, the eternal optimist, I know that the sun will come up tomorrow even if we don’t see it. A new blanket will cover the tracks made over the past couple of days. The whiteness and purity of that covering will help us to look forward. Only God knows what lies ahead, but one thing we know for sure is that He has our future in His hands. Before there were seasons, God was there. When the earth and sky were formed out of the darkness, God was there. When He created the inhabitants of the world – the mountains and valleys – He was there. He was there when His creation was disrupted by devil. He continues to be with us today and has promised never to leave us. Like the whiteness of winter covers the ugliness of the dirt below, we have been washed clean from the filth of sin. Death has no power over us. We can be sure that even when our time on earth is done, our lives will continue in eternity, because God is always there. That is a promise that we can count on, because God never lies.

Moon beams sift through pines on fallen snow.
Light sufficient to find the way back home.
A heavy load weighs on resistant ice below.
Weight of the world upon that glistening dome.
The tree of life stands firmly in its place.
It will not move in any time or space.
For God so loved this world He would not spare
The One who came to us – His love to share.
To melt the ice of frozen hearts in sin.
Renewed, refreshed and washed by Him within.