Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Beauty of a Blizzard

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life
by Priscilla Jane Owens


The blizzard of 2013, named Nemo hit my little town on the coast of Maine in a big way.  I took this picture of the side view of our church from inside the comfort of my home, the parsonage.  This was the morning of February 9, 2013.  A day that will be talked about for a long time. 

Let me back up just a bit.... the day before the storm actually struck, it was snowing.  At our bird feeders we saw an unusual sight, a bright red male cardinal who had come to feed before the storm.  He was a bit timid so I wasn't able to get as close as I'd like.  Notice the blue jay beside him, camouflaged against the birch trees.



I did venture outside to get a few pictures during the peak of the storm, however I was quickly driven back by the force of the wind and the depths of the snow.  It's one thing to view a storm from the safety and comfort of your home, quite another to actually be on the other side of the window.  I had totally underestimated how deep the snow really was.




We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
  Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.


Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life
by Priscilla Jane Owens

more beautiful frost patterns form on the windows


my son-in-law braves the elements to shovel,
but finds his efforts are in vain

my husband does the same.  I captured this through the frosty window,
notice our church in the background. 

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy the blast, through strength divine.

Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life
by Priscilla Jane Owens


My grandsons enjoyed a brief time of play outside,
despite the howling winds and freezing temps. 

We had to cancel our Sunday Services due to the huge amounts of snow which were piled high in and around the church, not to mention the homes of our church family.  The digging out process began today.   The sun came out, and the skies were blue.  The storm had passed. 

When the long night has ended,
And the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence.
On that bright, peaceful shore.
In that land where the tempest
Never comes, Lord may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.
Mosie Lister

Our church and parsonage after the storm

I trust you and your families were kept safe in this storm, and that you've enjoyed a glimpse of an old fashioned Maine winter.  The kind I remember as a child.

Blessings to you all.

Linked to:  A Sheltering Tree Clever Chicks 
A Haven for Vee



22 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing the pics, everyone at church enjoyed them inspite of the misery they might have caused you, truly made us grateful to the Lord for our mild weather. Blessings to you and Bill!
    {hugs}

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  2. That is a real winter and your photos are beautiful; I like the ones of your church and the one through the frosted window. Keep warm.

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  3. Such an amazing shelter is our Lord in the midst of storm of heart or of snow! So glad you are safe and warm Abby! Thank you for all the pictures. They are all so beautiful and I can enjoy the beauty without feeling the effects of the wind. Thank you!

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  4. We have cardinals here in Arkansas year-round. I love how the cardinals and bluejays look in the snow. They show up so beautifully and you really got some good captures.

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  5. Your pictures are amazing. Love the birds -- I had to look really hard to see the blue jay!!

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  6. Beautiful words,and pictures...thanks so much for sharing the beauty of the storm....blessings

    Your church is just wonderful.

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  7. Is this one the worst you remember in recent memory? I remember a heavy snowfall in the past decade with even more snow, but not the wind part. What beautiful pictures of the storm and afterwards.

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  8. I remember this kind of winter when I was a child too!!!

    In the morning as I read this, the city has excavating machinery out to remove the gigantic mounds of snow piled up in town that were left over from the storm. The piles are about 15-18 feet tall. It was quite a storm! I don't think it was as bad in Michigan as it got where you are. I don't think we had as much wind.

    We did however, have the same issues of shoveling in vain, lol! I'm glad it is over, but it was gorgeous while it was here. We've been dealing with icy conditions around here as well.

    Thanks for sharing these lovely photos and quotes sweetie!

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  9. Wonderful photos... quite beautiful, but in truth, I don't miss the snow. While I have many wonderful memories of it, I no longer have the energy for it.Hope you are all warm, snuggly and safe.

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  10. That was quite the storm, wasn't it, Abby? Here on Prince Edward Island we could barely see the houses just across the small street. Nothing was visible through most of our windows; even our 2nd floor windows were caked with snow. My son called the swirling gusts "snow tornadoes". It started late Friday night and continued until Sunday afternoon. There were still white-out conditions in areas of the Island well into the evening. Praise God we didn't lose power or heat. Only our Internet was running slowly. God certainly does like this little island. Without his protection we could quite easily be wiped off of the map.
    Glad you made it through the storm fine and your grandchildren got to enjoy the aftermath.
    Blessing hugs,
    Teresa

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  11. Oh my gosh, these are wonderful pictures ... especially the frost on the window ones. Thanks for giving us a summary of the blizzard with a birds eye view. I am going to share this post link with my FB friends, many of who live in the PNW.

    Stay warm and safe!

    Kathy M.

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  12. I am so thankful to hear you are safe and weathered the storm well. Your pictures are fabulous! I just love the fist one of your church - it's beautiful!

    An thank you for sharing such sweet words.

    Have a lovely week.

    Hugs,
    Stephanie

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  13. WONDERFUL PICTURES ABBY!!!!!!!!! AND isn't it AMAZING just HOW CLEAR things are AFTER going through a storm????:) GOD IS GOOD! GLAD you & yours are safe!!!!!!! :)

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  14. I so enjoyed reading this post! How you tied together these wonderful words with amaing photos! Wow aren't red cardinals gorgeous! We don't have them in France!!!!! I adored all your photos of the church, snow, family and frost patterns. TFS! Brilliant! Stay warm and safe.

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  15. Such a lovely post! You have a beautiful way about placing your photos with the Word of God. Our God is a shelter in the time of storm, be it in life, or the outside weather.

    Thank you for sharing! My prayers are with you in Main.

    Blessings to you!

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  16. Wow! That's really a storm and lots of snow...thanks for sharing your story and great pics...they really capture what was happening. Glad you're all ok! :)

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  17. Hi Abby! Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with us on The Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week. I will be featuring your post when this week's hop goes live tonight!

    I hope you'll join us again!

    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  18. hi, i'm following the "clever chicks" blog hop. i would love for you to visit my blog and follow if you like it.

    http://www.blackinkpaperie.blogspot.com

    thanks
    new follower bev

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  19. The pictures of the snow and iced windows are beautiful. Glad you're all safe and sound, warm and cozy.
    Visiting from Vee's (**

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  20. You are right, there is beauty, even in a blizzard! Great pics:@)

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  21. The lyrics that you have included are the perfect accompaniment to your beautiful pictures. God's power...and God's protection...

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  22. So beautiful. I love the frost on the windows. Whenever it snows I always think of the scripture Tho your sins be as scarlet I will make them white as snow (paraphrasing)Thanks for sharing

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