Brrr!

Living in the US makes you talk about the weather a lot. In Chicago, where I lived for a few years, weather topped the list of conversation topics with friends and strangers. Too windy. Too cold. Too hot. Too much snow. Too wet. Too crazy.

In this country I never once spoke about the weather. Till now.

At the huge outdoor event to swear in Barrack Obama as the new President of the United States today, people will chill. Brrrrr!

Not even the firestorm sparked by Pastor Rick Warren—author of Purpose-Driven Life; openly opposed to same-sex marriage; and Obama's choice to give the invocation—could warm a wintry day.

The world is experiencing one of its coldest seasons ever. I don’t remember this part of the universe being this shivery before. Not in recent memory.

Since the beginning of 2009, I have kept the electric fan and the air-conditioner off. And I find myself bundling up with an old coat once scrunched in a forgotten closet.


My office (the cramped, book-lined corner where I write) has a window that catches the nippy wind from the garden. Since our house sits on a corner lot, no structure obstructs the cool January temperature that dipped to 7.5 degrees centigrade in Baguio a few days ago.

My early morning walks are chilly; I carry an umbrella to ward off the icy morning dew. Not many walkers brave the cold so I find myself alone in the dark. The better to talk and listen to the Creator of weather. It’s quiet and peaceful, I hear Him. I feel His presence. And I can’t think of a better way to start my day.

This idyllic weather isn’t going to last long, though. We’ve been told by Pag-asa that by mid February we will be assaulted by extreme heat.

So while the weather is still hot topic and I can still say brrrr, I am going to bundle up with things that warm my heart—writing and reading, listening to music, solving crosswords, staying home, calling up friends, and filling leaves such as this with odes and thanksgiving for God’s glorious grace.