The snowmobile expedition of family and friends was out on one of the cold and sunny days of the March Break. One of those days that doesn’t seem to come along all that often anymore. And maybe that’s what makes them so memorable.
They were skirting the shoreline of a big, wind-swept lake with lots of headlands and those pines that seem to be the trademark of the area.
When they stopped to admire the view, it was those trees that caused one of the kids to ask a logical question. You know, about how they could grow in such an inhospitable location – all barren and rocky.
“They’re like your grandfather,” one of the men responded. And he chuckled when he said it. “They may be bent and gnarly, but they’ve learned how to survive. They don’t try to get too tall and show off; and their roots are as big as the tree itself, set deep in the rocky cracks.”
“And the snow on them makes it look like grandpa’s hair,” chimed in a little one from the muffled enclosure of her helmet and snowsuit.
She could have been quoting Proverbs, where it says, “Long life is the reward of the righteous; grey hair is a glorious crown.” (Proverbs 16:31).
Isaiah says something similar, “I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is grey. I made you and will take care of you; I will give you help and rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4).
Of course, he is talking about the nation of Israel. But it also sounds nice to those of us whom our grandchildren think of as being old…