Resurrection Bay Reflections

Just another day of our Alaska adventure; still have asleep I could hear Patty get up to prepare to go and substitute teach at the local elementary school, when she stood in front of me and announced, “We don’t have any water!”. Not a good way to start a Monday morning; I responded, “Surely, this can’t be!” (Maybe I was a little more expressive.). Anyway, as I climbed from my warm bed I went downstairs to see what might be the problem and as I turned on every spigot in house…..I discovered that my wife, once again, was correct, we had no water. The pipes were frozen. If you recall two weeks ago, also on a Monday morning, we awoke to having no heat in the house….the furnace was out! So after taking Patty to school (without her morning shower, no less…not a happy camper!); I set about making the call to the water department and discovering that this happens here in Seward often during the winter. The morning was spent running outside to talk to the men working on the problem and back inside to see if the water was unfrozen yet.
One thing you can say about this winter in Seward, Alaska….it has been a challenge and the winter is not for sissies!
By 1:00 pm the water was once again flowing and I jumped in the warm shower for a much appreciated “new beginning” of the day. But now let me contrast the rather poor beginning of this day with the other side of this coin. I picked Patty after school and reassured her that life was once again good and that the water was back on and as we drove home she told me that someone at school e-mailed to tell them that some special things was happening out in the bay….that’s Resurrection Bay, the center piece of this small community that we live in. So we drove down to the bay, parked the car and walked west along the bay. We hadn’t gone far when out in the bay, not more than fifty yards from shore, we saw a hump back whale lazily swimming and accompanied by at least a dozen sea lions. The sounds they made were amazing as we stood and watched these magnificent animals surface and then dive as they fed. We stood with several others who had also received the news that something special had been spotted, and we joined in the chorus of, “There it is!” each time the whale would surface.
As we made our way home, where we were greeted by both a functioning furnace and water coming from all spigots, we both realized that we had experienced both the ugly and the beautiful of this place that God had called us and that all was well.

Hymn Sing and Pot Luck at Seward and Moose Pass this Sunday…..two things that United Methodist do best…..sing and eat!! Should be lots of fun. Everyone welcome. Seward at 10:00 am Moose Pass at 5:00 pm. See you in church.

The Rev. Max Cramer, former pastor of Seward Memorial United Methodist Church from 1973 – 1976, passed away Jan. 16th, 2012.  Notes of condolences can be sent to:  Diana Cramer (daughter), 4331 Constellation Ave. #40, Anchorage, AK 99517.

Tuesday’s Thoughts:

As I sit in my office looking out at the snow and listening to some soft music on a CD, I’m lulled into this quiet place. It’s mid-morning and the light has reflected off the snow since day’s first light. This last week has been a rhythmic pattern of snow and shoveling; we have had three snows, each one dropping at least four inches each time and this is on top of about three feet of snow that has been on the ground for weeks now. So each morning begins with checking to see how much snow fell during the night and then pulling on the boots and warm jacket and gripping your new best friend….the snow shovel.
The winter season is different that the other seasons here in Alaska….it is so much quieter. All the tourists have long returned home, the ships no longer come to our harbor, and the trains only bring in coal anymore and not passengers. The snow muffles the sounds of passing traffic, and unlike the rain, the snow falls silently on our roofs and ground and as long as the wind isn’t blowing you don’t have a clue that the snow is piling up outside. The dogs that once barked incessantly on porches and in back yards are now safely inside and the loud happy voices of playing children have also gone still. And so it is with my soul….it has become quiet in a kind and gentle way, like the trees that are embraced by the thick coat of snow…..my soul rests in the blanket of love provided by God’s love; and all is well.

News from the church: Remember this Sunday is the “Pot Luck” following our Hymn Sing service. This is happening in both Seward and Moose Pass. It should be a fun fellowship time. See you here.