I stood on my front porch and listened to massive limbs crack and fall to the ground. Ice and snow were falling. It was not possible to determine where the limbs were or how large. They sounded big. Nature left me with a feeling of helplessness. The world, as you know, can change in a moment.

Our environment is a fishbowl. We see the familiar surroundings. Safe we are in our hermetically sealed home. The Pandemic of 2020 was a massive change in our perception. We had enjoyed trips to Europe and Caribean Cruises without thinking of getting on a ship and proceeding with retirement perks and glory.

Such is life on Earth. We travel along with a song in our hearts until … This reality gives us our Joie de vivre. We know life changes suddenly.

‘We are moving to Eldorado,’ Billy B told Susie. ‘Dad is going to go into the mechanic business with his friend Bob,’ Billy B continued. ‘It will be quite a change from the Windy City,’ he laughed.

‘Who will I hug,’ Susie said with a tear in her eye. ‘Mom says that we are going to come and see you in your Southern Illinois Home,’ Susie smiled. ‘Steve will bring his Marionettes…he will put on a Marionette Show for us when we see you and Neva J.

‘I invite the audience to watch President Kennedy and Jackie visit Dallas,’ Steve said as he opened the Marionette Stage and lifted the curtain.

‘Jack I have a Scary feeling about the motorcade today,’ Jackie said. ‘Let’s cancel it and go directly to the big lunch being held in your honor,’ Jackie continued. ‘I had a dream where trees were falling amid the cacophony of loud cracking and a terrible thud as they fell to the ground. ‘The Crack of the falling limbs sounded like gunshots,’ Jackie said…

‘Hoorah…President Kennedy withdrew our troops from Vietnam…so many lives were saved,’ Neva J said. ‘It was a last-minute good decision when Jackie advised Jack to skip the Motorcade in Dallas…the police found would-be assassins on the Grassy Knoll,’ Neva J said.

‘So you see dear children we are on stage…a slight change in our actions changes the story,’ Shadowman said.

No Woods Walking today. For a person with wanderlust, the ice has brought a change. Christmas assimilates us. We become immersed in the season. There are Christmas movies to watch. Christmas places to go. Christmas people to see. Then comes now. January Ice Storm. A change that will not last. Change is the theme of life.

Have you a special place you visit? A special food or drink? A friend you confide in? Do you have trouble remembering when you stopped eating the special food or drinking the special drink? Do you recall when you and your special friend took divergent paths?

Adjustment is the key to success. Flexibility is important.

The path was lovely, sunny, dark, and stormy as Billy B walked along. He sang and danced in the Sun. He hid from the night. In the storm, Billy B sought shelter. The mountaintop had a spectacular view…the valley had long shadows.

So we feel the pains and fears of change. Many are buffeted by all of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune we experience yet have no one who has their back. There is no quick turnaround from being hungry and ill-clad against the cold.

‘Here is your cot,’ Kind Lady said. ’30 people are sleeping in this room so be careful if you have to get up during the night,’ KL continued. ‘You must be out by 8:00 a.m.,’ she said.

Horace remembered when he had a nice home. He was warm and well-fed. Horace worked at University. There was little change…until there was. Budget cuts took his job. Horace could not find another. His wife left him and took their daughter with her. Horace enjoyed a drink or three after work but had always been able to control his thirst…until dramatic change pushed him from his sense of place. No longer was he a manager. No one seemed to know his name. Soon he became one of the faceless voiceless unseen on the cold streets of Chicago.

Miriam held Anna close and wrapped the old blanket around her tightly. The ice kept falling. The awning provided some shelter against the frigid rain. Broadway Theatergoers walked along the boulevard with cashmere overcoats and waterboots. ‘This weather is terrible Rodger… I would have preferred another night to see the premier,’ Daphene said with a frown. ‘You know how I hate to get my hair wet,’ Daphene continued. ‘I hope our seats are front row,’ Daphene sighed.

Winter in our neck of the woods is often mild and cloudy. Thirty to forty degrees with a dip into the twenties at night. More talk about snow than snow. When a little snow falls we get excited. The sleds come out and meager weight-reduced snowmen appear. Times are hard for snowmen in Southern Illinois. Once in a winter, we get some single-digit temperatures…we talk about them for the rest of the year.

Tonight we wait for the coming of the Ice Queen. Santa just left us and did not leave a forwarding address. The Christmas Cookie plate had crumbs but has now been washed. As MJ said if the power goes out we can watch movies we have recorded… I had a brilliant Ice Queen event thought…we will brew extra coffee and heat it up in the microwave…

Winter 1978 we had a blizzard. I had a lovely lady that I wanted to impress as I hiked the snow drifts over to her house to shovel her Ford Maverick out of the snow. It was cold, and the snow was deep. As I shoveled I knew she must be as impressed as I was at my accomplishments.

Steve and I drove to Zeigler Coal Companies offices in Johnston City. The snow was a white sheet in front of the car’s windshield. Marooned in the ditch. When we extricated ourselves we turned around for home. The road was indistinguishable from the fields surrounding it.

1979 marked another snowstorm. Having just begun at Southern Illinois University I was reluctant to not report for work amid the storm. Faye had heard on the radio that SIU was closed except for essential staff. I wondered if I was Essential? Again, the drive was akin to driving through an open field for fifteen miles. As I bumpily pulled into the little driveway in front of the Building Services Office I noticed no other cars no lights on except for a little light bulb burning next to the window. Elbert pulled in and jumped out of his car. ‘Are we open Brooks Bradley he asked’? Elbert walked boldly to the front door and knocked loudly saying, ‘Brooks Bradley and Elbert Covington reporting for duty.’ Upon being satisfied that we would not gain access he asked me to come over for hot chocolate with MJ. I thanked him and noted if I arrived home safely I would not be venturing out.

Long dry spells happen between visits from The Ice Queen.

I took some pride in my negotiation with the fearful ice. I fell the first winter of being the Superintendent of Building Services. I had my suit on and a cashmere overcoat feeling pretty…pretty…pretty good that I had made it to the top. I was a Serious Man. I was humbled and honored by the confidence administration had placed in me. Suddenly I was on my back looking up at the trees. The pomp and circumstance were knocked out of me in one ice slip.

So, confused we are as we age. Kids in old folks’ bodies.

‘Oh, the silent majesty of a winter’s morn…the clean, cool chill of the holiday air…and an asshole in his bathrobe emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer.’ Clark Griswold

‘The Shitter is full,’ Cousin Eddie shouted to Clark…

Winter Storm Warning for Sunday. Danger of fallen power lines and outages. Serious business for we who moderate winter folk. During times like these, I wish I had purchased a generator. The optimum time to buy a generator is probably in the summer.

So many perils are coming down the track. We take the Winter Storm Warning seriously. There are other imminent dangers, not so much.

When we find reality onerous or heinous we create an alternative that suits our disposition. Science may inform us of danger while our guru or wiseman tells us as the famous philosopher from Mad Magazine often said, ‘What Me Worry.’

Politicians gain office by the votes of hard-working people and subsequently forget how they got the job. Their eyes are glazed with the possibilities of their newfound fame. They stand on the obscure principles that make up the alternate reality in which they live. Hell Bent the new leaders of the people are to have it their way. The accolades of a strident few ring in their ears as millions suffer for lack of voice.

Free Speech is precious…as long as it is speech we like. Freedom of Assembly is vital…as long as it is our Assembly.

The Woman stood against her peers. She was a leader of quick ascendancy. Her name was well known. She was respected until she stood for the rights of all people. Many laugh in dark corners.
They mock and gesticulate. They wonder about the hair…they wonder about the man… The crowd said to the Woman…’ Go get them…you are what we need…you are our voice…we are scared…you are fearless.’

Ice is treacherous. You can not see it…you feel it…when you fall.

Our year is New but we are not. Dear departed President Carter knew that leadership is nuanced. If we are a country for all people we must include those unlike us. History is not explained by self-serving analogies to Biblical figures to make a square peg fit in a round hole.

Those leaders in love with their mirror image govern in the direction that brings them praise. Those who care about the humanity of their fellow humans tread lightly and with quiet consideration.

It is January 2nd. We can still say Happy New Year. We have just heard the starter pistol and lifted our feet to run the 2025 race. We are headed toward the deep midwinter. ‘Water like a stone’. The forecast is for some of that stone water this Sunday. We are looking for the answer to life’s persistent questions.

Stand we do before an Open Door. Change we want…change we can have…we have to be the Change.

A new/old government is coming. Some are happy others are not. Certainly, our personal life will remain static unless we shake it up. No one will do it for us. The power of weight loss is in our hands… Putting down the fork will help…

Movement increases momentum. The action breaks the wall of depression. Good thoughts come from good deeds.

We walk through the ‘slough of despond’ seeking someone to be our advocate. Speaking up can be a bit scary but a freeing experience. Nothing simply falls on us from above. Jesus suffered in the Garden…it was not an amusement ride.

Most deteriorating institutions can be recovered by hard-working people. New ideas help.

Perspiration is essential combined with inspiration and imagination. If you can see it you can be it.

Humility is a hidden virtue. The show horse is applauded admired and emulated. The workhorse often continues in obscurity doing the work of real change without fanfare or praise.

We have arrived. We heard it was coming. 2025 is here. MJ is making chicken soup. The only carrots I could find were in a five-pound bag. Do you like carrots? What will the New Year bring?

Tragedy has struck in New Orleans. A sad reminder of our troubled world. People happy celebrating the New Year…were mowed down by a terrorist. We have been to Bourbon Street a place of party and fun. Death and destruction did not enter our minds.

So it goes as we negotiate our path in our New Year. The road we travel together is well-lit at times and dark and murky at other times. Our resolve is clear until we hit a hidden brick wall. It is the recovery from the Wall that takes supreme effort and faith.

We walk toward Light. Darkness is around us…before us and behind us. How we react to the darkness is our challenge. Do we hide our heads in the sand like our friend the ostrich? Shall we become bitter insular and hide with the doors bared in our homes? Will we fear the homeless…those different than we are? Or will we follow the message of Christ?

‘This is the year of friendship,’ Jane said triumphantly! ‘I am going to make a new friend every week, Jane continued. ‘I will seek those who are lonely,’ Jane reflected.

‘I love One Eye whose name is Abigail,’ Neva J said with a smile. ‘The townspeople make fun of her for her one eye and strange clothing,’ Neva J continued. ‘She has been the light of my life since I met her…she was in Vaudeville in the 20s, ” Neva J said.

‘Tommy L is an interesting chap,’ Chet said. ‘He is a brilliant mathematician, Chet continued. ‘His dad is a professor at MIT,’ Chet noted. ‘He is shunned due to his disability…he has forgotten more than those who shun him and yet has the grace to not inform them of his brilliance,’ Chet noted somberly.

Some are partying…some are in front of their television. What began with a promise has fulfilled its commitments. Now we see how the year flies by. It will seem to start slow and cold but will increase speed like a locomotive. As we return to work the holidays will be on our minds…for a while. We will hear the bells on Christmas Day, and their old familiar songs play…peace on Earth good will toward men. Then a winter budget cut will present its ugly head. Someone will leave due to illness and the remaining work must be shared. More months than money was my experience many times and the cold mid-winter only magnified the problem. Pizza on payday and tuna at the end of the month.

So we know what to expect. We must look through a glass darkly to see the light of the New Year. January is as special as December. Life is a magnificent gift each day we live it.

Becoming good at a task requires practice. Focus is the key to fulfillment. Nothing happens unless we put our shoulder to the wheel. God will compensate for our natural shortfalls if we work as hard as possible.

Baby Jesus was just born a few days ago…anew in our lives. His message of humility peace…love is new every day.

Gifts are always welcome. The joy in the eyes of our fellow humans when we do something special and unexpected for them is palpable. It is Christmas all over again.

‘Billy B we are glad to have you aboard,’ Harold said with a smile. ‘If you want to succeed in Building Services come to work early and work hard,’ Harold continued. ‘You will soon gain a good name that will follow you throughout the department,’ Harold winked.

‘I have not seen Thalman Hall look so clean in many years,’ the Associate Director said to Billy B. ‘Your work is as important as any work that transpires in our department,’ AD continued. ‘When your work is well done we can do our work without impediment,’ AD noted.

‘I want you to take the Superintendent assignment if you are willing,’ Harry W said to Billy B. ‘The department is in trouble, the Vice Chancellor and I believe you are the person to fix it,’ Harry W. said.

‘This guy fights for Building Services…if I cut one student worker he gives me hell,’ President Glenn P said. ‘He has helped me many times and I value his counsel,’ President GP said.

‘I tried to treat people like I want to be treated,’ Billy B said. ‘I scrubbed toilets and cleaned carpets on my hands and knees and felt like the luckiest guy in the world,’ Billy B said with tears in his eyes. ‘I had nothing and SIUC gave me so much more than I could give back,’ Billy B whispered…