Winter Memories

Having just read Jen's post about those special moments in life, I was reminiscing about an evening that I had 2 years ago, during the Christmas season.

I had been working late at the college and found myself waiting waiting for the 9:00 #13 to arrive. It was probably around -20 or so outside with a light dusting of snow falling. Those of us who were waiting were surprised when we saw an oddly colored, older model, #13 bus adorned with the old mechanical route sign. It was an absolutely wonderful (never thought I'd use those words to describe a Calgary Transit vehicle) experience. It had an incomplete looking purple/beige paint job (inside and out), thickly-padded split-bench seats with real fabric upholstery, rear doors that still had to be opened by the driver, and a heating system which somehow managed to evenly heat the entire bus to that perfect "in from the cold" temperature without any uncomfortable hot spots. I gazed around for a moment, found my favourite seat (window, door-side, right in front of the rear doors), and settled in. My CD player had a mixed Christmas album playing on it and I was absolutely blissful as I rode that crazy looking bus through 35 minutes of some of the most beautiful scenes imaginable (Upper Mount Royal homes with fresh snow and that ethereal winter glow).

I praised God alot during that ride. That experience, at least for me, was a joy blessing in one of the most unusual and unexpected forms. God knows what we like, and He can and does meet those likes once in a while, but that night taught me that He knows me well enough to give me a joy well beyond what I could have imagined, even through something as seemingly kitschy as a bus.