Advisories

There is a winter advisory for the mountains! That means snow may soon be here. I think it is awfully considerate of the weather station to offer an advisory to the snow. When snow arrives, it will be advised of all its rights: the right to peaceably assemble, the right to bear arms (and legs of skiers, but not to break them), and the right to remain silent. This is important because half the beauty of snow is its silence.

Just in case I was not harried and irritable with overwork enough as it is, I took on the effort of organizing Charlotte Homeschool Ski groups for outings to my favorite mountain in the area. I got enormous interest immediately and should have no trouble getting the minimum group number for the discount- in fact, I will probably have to limit group size so that I don't spend the whole ski day handing out tickets. I think I should parlay this into book sales. For every ski ticket purchased, skiers must also buy my book. It will be my own little winter advisory.

There is an awful lot of bad advice. It is very important to be careful whose advice you listen to. I am finishing up the book of 2 Samuel, and am once again amazed at the treachery of Absalom. He was David's son, and he plotted with his advisers to seize the kingdom from his father. In the end, Absalom was killed. Poor David mourned doubly- first the son's betrayal, and then the son's death. I cannot imagine coping with that kind of grief. I kept wishing Absalom would listen to wise counsel and turn from his evil path. He never did. There are many messages in this story, but I do think one warning is that we should choose carefully whom and what we listen to. Especially with the onslaught of information in the age of the internet, we are bombarded with conflicting views on just about every subject. I find myself reeling in indecision after considering all the viewpoints about just a simple matter like drinking juice : pros and cons. And then, like a breath of clean mountain air on a snowy slope, I open the Bible, my Spiritual Advisory. This is something I can breathe in safely,  trust in, and base my plans on.

Jeremiah 18: 17-19
¹⁷ Like a wind from the east,
   I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face
   in the day of their disaster.”
 ¹⁸ They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”
 ¹⁹ Listen to me, LORD;
   hear what my accusers are saying!

Dilemma

Matt and Asherel are still asleep. I meanwhile am envisioning all the potential and horrific likelihoods of Snowboarding disasters. We are at the hotel, which is why I don't have access to my photos so we will have a picture-less blog today. I didn't expect to be able to write at all, however, so this is a nice surprise. I have been up for two hours already. I have been researching the impact of most ski accidents and the resulting trauma to the tender skull.

Fortunately, most snowboarding accidents happen only to unskilled novices who are fifty or older with brittle bones and should never be anywhere near a ski mountain. I have the option to downgrade to skiing, which I know how to do to some extent since I cross country ski. So on the drive, I asked my kids if they would mind if I took the ski lesson instead and of course would then join them on the bunny slope after the lesson.

"Don't you already know how to ski?" asked Matt, sweetly, of course, but the insinuation being I was afraid to try something new.
Asherel was more direct.
"Oh just try it! You can always downgrade to skis if you don't like it."

This means that I will downgrade to skis after I snap my femur like a twig, of course.
I was hoping for a down pour that would melt the hundred inch snow base, but it is not raining. So in just a couple minutes, I awaken the kids and off we go to the mountain. I have an hour to decide will I be brave, or a fool, or both.... or play it safe. Mind you, we will be learning on a near level field, and have been informed that we are not allowed on even the bunny slope til the instructor feels we are not a threat to ourselves or others. If I pass that test, it will be for perhaps the first time in my life that I am neither.
Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.