on the cusp of a texas hooker

I’m so sick of snow. The last straw was my return drive from Wisconsin on Monday. I left on the cusp of a blizzard, and the drive past Milwaukee took me three hours, during which I kept having to pull over, get out into the blinding ice and snow, and peel ice from the windshield wipers of my dad’s car (which he so graciously let me borrow for the long weekend). I told myself I would get as far as I-65 past Chicago and into Indiana, but when the Vibe spun out on the highway, I decided to call it a night and pulled off the nearest exit. I cocooned myself in a motel and sat eating Subway and watching “Duck Dynasty” with the snow raging outside. Thankfully the morning drive went far better, and I was able to make it to Cincinnati in time for my shift in Blue Ash. Now the air’s warming up (a brief respite, but not the beginning of spring), and I’m enjoying the pleasant air, the warmth of the sun on my face, and the melting snow and ice. I’m hoping the thickly-packed ice laid down a week or two ago by the sudden death ice storm will melt, because I’m tired of learning about glaciations as I consequently learn about gravity. This cartoon depicts my attitude over the last couple weeks in regard to the face-blistering (not a metaphor) cold:

And I'm moving to WISCONSIN???

As I write this, another super storm is bearing down upon us. They’re calling it a “Texas Hooker,” a pan-handle storm that’s hooking northeast from Texas. The name’s pretty classy (is that the right word?), and memes are already blowing up all over the interwebs. We’re fortunate here in Cincinnati: the most we’ll have to put up with is tornadoes. Those far to the north have a bitterer deal (and, yes, “bitterer” is a word): an ice storm followed by six inches of snow in Chicago, and up to two feet of snow in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’m really hoping the weather will be more forgiving next weekend when I make the five-hour drive north to spend a few days with the Wisconsinite in the Windy City.

I’ve been contemplating Grad School a lot more lately, and I got to talk with my doctor Joe (who’s an elder at my home church) about future schooling some last night. I told him different options, and I said, “The main thing is getting my degree in something with which I can get a good-paying job to pay back on the degree, or else the degree isn’t worth it.” He made a really good point: “Sure, unless you feel led by God to get a certain degree.” And he doesn’t take “being led by God” lightly. He added, “If you feel led by God to pursue something, don’t let your own attempts to control the future, or your own struggle to trust in God’s providence, keep you from moving forward.” I’ve always enjoyed my talks with him, and I don’t count it ironic that his words cut into something God’s been putting on my mind a lot as of late: trust in Him. I call it my “manly nature,” trying to control everything to bring about the best possible outcome, always weighing decisions based on pros and cons. Really, it’s just my sinful heart and residual doubts of God’s providence, despite the fact that He consistently takes care of me, even in ways I don’t expect. A lesson I’ve been learning (or “relearning,” if you will) is to rest in His providence, to not be consumed by the stress of having to have it all figured out and make it all work. The truth is that I can’t figure it all out. I can’t make it all work. I’m simply not that good. But God is that good, and He’s in control, He’s sovereign, and I need to trust in that and rest in that.

On a lighter note, here’s a comparison of the R.M.S. Titanic and a modern cruise ship: