Together

My three little snow bunnies in yesterday's
first snow of the season

"Two are better than one...for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion...a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart!" (Eccl 4:9-12)


        O Christian, you belong to the family of God. Never try to do life alone!

The storm continued throughout the afternoon making the tall trees sway in the blustery wind like wooden masts on a rocking ship. By evening, the temperature had dropped drastically changing raindrops into white flurries - the first snow of winter.

 I curled in a rocker by the fireplace for a long while after the others went to bed and reflected on the events of the day. The oak logs hissed and crackled in the heat of blue and yellow flames. I sat mesmerized by the red glow of hot coals beneath the grate and jumped when a sudden POP launched a spray of glittering sparks up the chimney.
          Before teaching at Shady Grove, I believed I could accomplish anything with help from God alone. Watching the Grahams’ neighbors pull together and work as a team to save my school helped me realize the need for God and community.

I opened my Bible to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12 and in the dimming firelight read, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion...a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” On that wintry night, King Solomon’s proverb penetrated my heart as never before.

            I added a log to the fire before heading to bed and then peeked through the lace curtains to discover a snow-globe-like wonderland. Crystal flakes, swirling and dancing in the darkness, had begun to stick, covering the branches of the Fraser firs and the ground. Powdery, white front porch steps looked as if a baker had sprinkled them with confectioner’s sugar.1

Illustration by Cami Monet Webb

 1THE SCHOOLHOUSE. Jill Watson Glassco, 2012.