Learning to Love the Snow
Mar 6, 2019
As I am writing this article it is snowing quite heavily outside. I spent the morning driving through the snow and wishing that spring would arrive soon. When it comes to places where white covers the ground, I would prefer to be on the sandy white beaches in the Bahamas. I’m tired of the snow; I want it to melt right away. Yet here we are, living in the snowy climate of Minnesota.
If I’m going to be happy here, I must somehow learn to love the snow. How do the Inuit people of Canada handle even harsher winter weather? It’s part of the fabric of their lives. They have a close relationship with the snow and ice. When I see snow I just say UGH! When the Inuit people see snow they understand so much more and they use many more words to describe it. Here are just a few of those words:
qanik - snow falling
aputi - snow on the ground
pukak - crystalline snow on the ground
aniu - snow used to make water
siku - ice in general
nilak - freshwater ice, for drinking
qinu - slushy ice by the sea
kaneq - frost
natquik - drifting snow
muruaneq - soft deep snow
The Inuit people have a greater understanding of their environment than I have of my own. They are not as threatened by such harsh weather as I am. They have learned to love and understand the cold of winter and in doing so, have learned to enjoy life much more. When I finally learn to love winter, I’ll have a happier life too.
Here is where I would like to make a comparison. It’s easier to love the comforting white sandy beaches on some tropical island than it is to slip and slide on the icy streets of Minnesota. But this is where we live; this is where we need to adapt. So it is with the people in our lives. We often surround ourselves with others who are just like us and who are easy to get along with. There’s nothing wrong with getting along with friends; but when we exclude others because they are different than us in any way, we are missing out on new joys and a new way of living. Christ drove this point home by saying that we should even love our enemies. Here’s what he says:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. –from the Gospel of Luke
So now when I see the falling snow, rather than saying UGH!, I’ll look for the beauty and be reminded that I can find the beauty in all people—even my enemies.
Life will be filled with joy.
Written by Chaplain Lane Skoglund-Anderson