Walking On Water

For the first time in forty years Pine Lake has frozen over.  It's been an unusually cold January with clear, sunny skies.  The cloud coverage is what keeps the temps mild and without them we've had a lot of sun and a lot of icy mornings.  Ironically RI is having another mild winter.  The second one since we left which confirms that wherever we go, the bad weather follows.
I've taken the boys to Pine Lake several times to explore this strange phenomenon.  A friend from North Dakota said as long as the ice is an inch thick you can stand on it.  Well this ice is several inches thick and the boys have tried and tried to break through it as they fling rocks onto it with their lacrosse sticks but it doesn't even make a dent.  This ice is strong!
But I have to say the entire time my kids are out on the lake my heart is racing and thoughts of rescuing my child from freezing waters scares me to death.  Eventually I tell them I can't take it anymore and we quickly leave, as if we've tempted fate long enough.
One trip to the lake I finally got brave and walked out on the ice.  In the shallow area the ice looked like a sheet of glass.  The ice and water were so clear I could see to the bottom and it truly looked as though I was walking on water.  I timidly slid my feet across the ice as I moved, feeling like it could break with each step.  I knew I was safe as there were lots of other people out on the ice as well, but I was still scared and felt like I was such a brave soul for doing it.
Of course this made me reflect on Peter and how he truly got to walk on water as he jumped out of the boat to walk toward the Savior.  The difference was, he didn't know he would be safe.  Walking on water was unprecedented.  As the storm raged around him and the waves splashed his face, I'm sure he thought he was taking his life in his own hands and doing something so dangerous.  But he did it because he had faith in the Savior.
As I stood on that ice, I got a little glimpse of what kind of faith that must have taken and my resolve to live by faith has been strengthened.  2017 is going to be another big year for our family with some big transitions that seem to be happening faster than we are ready.  Randy's job is not what it once was and suddenly big changes with big decisions about his career path seem to be piling up as fast as all the medical bills and home repairs.  It is discouraging.  But as I stood on that ice I was reminded that through faith we can do hard things.  I'm reminded that my mother was a woman of faith who kept her head up and faced her challenges head on, and her blood runs through my veins so I know I can be like that.  I want to be like that.  As my stomach slowly swells with this miraculous life growing inside of it, I'm reminded of miracles that come from faith.  Next year, when we've survived this rough year of change {because we will survive it somehow} I know that it will also be a year full of miracles.  And that's pretty exciting.