The weather men warned us. Over and over. An extreme Artic front was coming, bringing harshly cold temperatures and freezing precipitation. Now, as one of our Midwest’s standing jokes indicates, we all are aware that our weather forecast can be just a little inaccurate, on any given day. Our weather can change faster than a race car aimed for the finish line.

It's not difficult to identify people whose life has been touched by profound loss or personal tragedy. All you have to do is listen. Their responses become flat and curt: ‘Fine,’ ‘good as can be expected,' ‘Okay,' or ‘I'm alright.' These short replies replace joyful exuberances, laughter, the words 'really great', and especially 'happy.' Like a scar from a deep wound, there will always be lasting evidence something was altered. Physical evidence is in the eyes where a smile never reaches and in the deafening silence where laughter is appropriate. Emotions are anesthetized – not from a drug, but rather the growing disconnection from where pain lies dormant. Happiness is also there, but it is buried deep within that disconnection. For a time, “I’m happy” would be the hardest words to say.

The older we get the more friends and family members we lose through death. Within a period of three months, I lost three loved ones. Two of them died three days apart. Although I knew the end was imminent as I processed each situation, my knowledge and anticipation did not soothe me - it only served to bring me closer to the inevitability of my own mortality.

Andy stepped outside after the recent huge snow storm in our city to meet our postman halfway. Our street was too clogged with snow and ice for him to navigate safely, so our mailman had wisely parked his van at the end of the street. Then this valiant servant of our U.S. Postal System gathered everyone’s mail in his arms and began the tedious job of hand delivering to each front door. He was working for the company known for its old slogan, “Neither rain nor snow, nor heat, or gloom of night stays these couriers from their appointed rounds.”

As we start our journey in recovering from our personal grieving, we need to face some key questions: How can we overcome our feeling of floating in a cloud of despair? How do we overcome our sorrow and loss? Can we overcome our sorrow on our own? Can God give us additional inspiration and strength? When and how do we give attention to our grief? What action steps must we take to start our healing process?

Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with over 406 billion cups consumed each year. On average, men drink more coffee than women (1.7 cups per day vs 1.5 cups).

“Daddy, what does it mean when someone says people can have closed minds?” asked Jake. Mike thought about that question a lot lately. Things were so different now from how they had been previously. Not only had most of the people in town become sick with a terrible type of flue, but many businesses had to close because so many people were too sick to work. Even people who did not have the flu were affected. There was less money to pay bills and buy food, and fewer supplies were coming into town. As if things could not get worse, the people in governing positions had different ideas on what to do, and could not agree on a course of action that would ease the burdens and anxieties of all the people. After one particularly unproductive meeting, one of the townspeople accused another person of being closed-minded. That was what Jake had heard and had prompted his question.

The weather in February was less than favorable with ice and lots of snow, not to mention the brutally cold temperatures that we are not used to having. However, like most days in Oklahoma, the weather changed from -17 degrees to beautiful 50’s and 60’s. It is almost time for those of you who like to garden to get some plants in the ground. Later this month is a good time to get those potatoes and carrots in the ground. Make sure to hold off on planting those tomatoes and peppers until closer to May. They can’t handle the late cold snaps we can get sometimes. Make sure to check your Farmer’s Almanac for when to plant each vegetable. Most vegetables you buy comes with instructions on when to plant them. Or if you have any questions, you can always call your OSU extension office and they would be happy to help you.

Vandalism to the Bristow VFW Post 3656 Dear Editor, I want to start off by introducing myself before I get into the subject at hand. My name is Scot Thompson, I am a retired Army veteran of 29 years and have lived in Bristow since 2004.

To ignite a love of reading in us all, our Bristow Library invited us to embark on a “Blind Date with a Book” during the month of February. Luckily for us, they have decided to continue the blind dating book service through March!