The kindness of friends

Last night I slept at the home of a friend, rather than in my own bed. With temperatures below -40, I left work to find that my car was frozen solid.  One friend tried to help me jump start my VW, but we quickly determined that it was too cold to get started.

He drove me to a second friend's home, and she took me up to my cabin so I could set up a heater for my propane tank... it turns out that propane jells at about -40, and I had heard about several restaurants in town that had had to close because of jelled propane.  My propane stove is my only source of heat for the cabin, and I wanted to ensure that I would have a warm place to return to, once my car problems were resolved.

My friend, Kim,  and I went to the "Copper King" bar for steak sandwiches and beer, and then home to her place, where she let me crash in her spare room.  

People look out for one another here, and every good deed comes back in returned kindness.  Last year I helped Kim install new light fixtures in her home, and replace a leaky faucet.  Last night I slept warm and cozy under her roof.  Today a third friend drove me up to pick up my repaired car at Canadian Tire.  And so the great prayer wheel of life spins up here, through the cold winter nights.  And I, and the people whose lives touch mine, and mine theirs, all whirl in a wonderful Northern dance of caring and community.  I am blessed to have become caught up in the dance!