Shade Tree Wisdom 12/17/09

Put on my jacket, got the gloves and opened the door, ready for a brisk bit of walking. And it was dripping out. No, not any gushing rain,. Just the kind that sits on the edge of the collar, and then makes is way down one’s spine with its icy fingers. So I grabbed the umbrella, got the paper, did not get in a walk, and felt grumpy. And that’s no way to be, is it, especially for a pleasant fellow like me. So I simply accepted the situation and read the paper early.

And what did I read? That municipalities are into saving money by installing led bulbs in their stop and go signals. These lights last more than 7 years and save 90% in electricity, while the other bulbs had to be replaced on average every 18 months, so the cities are saving big bucks. And then the snow came. Some snow was blown into the shielded light and obscured them enough that people could not see if they were red or green. Sadly, a lady could see the light, and it gave her the arrow to turn left, while the driver coming from the other direction could not see the light, ran into her, and she was killed.

The problem; led bulbs do not heat up enough to melt the snow while incandescent bulbs do, so cities are spending their saved money sending crews out to clear lights after a snow fall. The problem will be solved, maybe with a heating element. I remember when my uncle bought a Dodge touring car that had real windows, and he used to heat a brick to place at grandma's feet when they drove to church. I remember grandma remarking, “I shouldn’t wonder if the boys in Detroit wouldn’t figure out someday to put a heater into this car.”

Not only did the “boys in Detroit" figure out how to heat the car, they also put in air conditioning, heated seats, individual comfort zones for left and right side, and much more. When we have it, it seems not so extraordinary at all.

I wonder how Abraham felt about God’s promises that “You will have a son, and your descendants will be as numerous as stars in the heavens” when he was nearing 100 years if age?

Yet later St. Paul would write in Galatians 4, 4-5. “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

And that is what we look forward to celebrating just days now. Is the heart ready for this news?

GPD 12/17/09