Chaplain's Corner

This is my 62nd winter on earth. I have lived in a number of places, all of which had very different winters. As a child I grew up in Pennsylvania. Winters were, well, sloppy. In December, January and February the temperatures averaged around 0°C and on a cold night maybe -5°C;  child’s play for us here in Manitoba. This meant wet feet and wet pants at least for boys who couldn’t stay out of the puddles or off the ground.

During my college years I lived in Phoenix where the average temperatures in December, January and February were in the neighborhood of 14°C. I never even bothered with a winter coat, although the natives donned winter jackets when the temperature went below 18°C.

My seminary years were spent in Denver Colorado, where the winter temperatures were rather unpredictable. The average temperatures in December, January and February were about- 5°C. But with the Chinooks that often blew through you may get a blizzard one day and the next it might be 10°C.

Then I moved to Canada, first to Saskatchewan then to Manitoba and I learned the definition of “winter”. The first winter I spent in Canada there was a stretch of six weeks where it didn’t get above -30°C. I guess that winter didn’t scare me off because that was the winter of 1979 and I have been here ever since.

I’m sure you all have winter memories and I’m sure many of them were far more challenging than mine. Many writers have likened the seasons to times in our lives. Spring likened to childhood, summer to youth and early adulthood, fall to middle adulthood and later adulthood and winter to old age. Personally I’m in the somewhere in the late weeks of October in my life. My work places me deep into the winter of many of the lives of people I care for and “winter” has become familiar territory to me.

But winter isn’t an easy time for many:  Health declines, slowly strength and vitality slip away, independence often becomes a longed for but elusive reality and the focus of life is survival instead of prospering. The winter of our lives can also challenge us spiritually. The meaning we once found in family, work, and civic involvement is but a memory; the relationships of our life are often lost as friends and family, spouses and children pass away. Faith and hope are often eroded, especially if the objects of our faith and hope are not unchanging and eternal. Our times for contributing to our world, making a difference with our lives pass and our focus dwindles to just making it through another day.

Winter, for the older adult can be a brutal time, it can be a sensory reminder that life is coming to an end. Sitting and watching a long, cold Manitoba winter creep by can be demoralizing and discouraging. Even the bright spot of Christmas provides little solace.

Winter is upon us. May I encourage you to be especially attentive to the old folks in your life? Take some extra time to sit and visit. Go out of your way to bring some brightness and joy into their lives. Go to them, for many of them cannot come out in the weather and many will not live to see the world of nature spring back to life in a few months.

Older folks, already deep into the winter of their lives, need children and young people and vibrant adults to come into their lives and remind them of life, and if you don’t know how to start a conversation, why not ask, “Tell me about what winter was like when you were a child?”  The question will allow the person to reach way back into their memory bank and share stories that I think you might really enjoy.