Tonight it is snowing! The first snow of the season!

Becca and I walked to a craft show this evening and when we came out to walk home, the snow had started. No evidence of sticking yet. We may wake up to snow on the ground or not. Still, it is snowing.

How is it that each summer we forget that snow means slippery sidewalks, slushy roads and muddy footprints in the house? Tonight, all I remember is the fun of waking up to a snowy world. That odd white light first thing in the morning and the extreme quiet of new snow stays fresh in my memory. I suppose the complete transformation of the familiar neighborhood into a
smooth and sparkling white world carries enough wonder to chase all practicality out of mind.

A couple of times during our years on Mt. Roberta, we awoke to a dusting of snow. Usually it was gone by the time we finished breakfast. Still, we waited for those mornings each winter. Two
snowy mornings stand out in my memory. The first was simply cold at our house but when I got to the pool and was swimming backstroke, it was snowing on me. The second was a truly snowy
morning. I got up at 5 a.m. to make my normal trek to the pool. That day, I came face to face with the less magical side of a snowy day. Driving down the hill, I ducked under downed wires,
drove around trees hanging over the road, worried about slipping and sliding into the creek, and turned around to go home only when I came to a really big tree across the road. Maybe we’ll
have days like that here in our cozy neighborhood in town, but I doubt it.

I imagine that in this part of the world it will only snow a few times during each winter. Maybe we’ll get a couple of inches, maybe it will last a few days. No drifts, no blizzards. So, I say, “Let it snow!”

If I suddenly disappear, you’ll know why. Here’s the
letter I just sent to the Prez.

Dear President Bush,

In the last week I read that you announced that we do
not torture prisoners and I read that Dick Cheney has
called for broad permission to treat prisoners in any
way needed to get them to give us information. I also
have heard that you have threatened to veto the bill
that contains John McCain’s amendment binding us to
the rules of the Geneva Conventions. All this shocks
me and makes me wonder what is going on in your
administration! We must not treat prisoners
inhumanely, even if they are terrorists! We are not
terrorists and must not act like them!

It is fine to say that Americans don’t torture
prisoners but we all saw the pictures. When my
husband served in the Army during the Viet Nam war, he
was taught that any thing his unit did was his
personal responsibility. We have watched low level
enlisted people be tried for their behavior at Abu
Gheraib prison, and we have heard that one general was
relieved of her post as a result. This is a weak
response in my opinion. Your own Attorney General
made statements indicating that your administration
did not necessarily feel bound by the Geneva
Conventions. Setting a tone like this cannot help
individual soldiers make good decisions. All of you
in Washington are partly responsible for the terrible
actions in Iraq, please take proper responsibility.

Last week I also heard that the CIA has set up secret
prisons in countries that allow torture. When this
news came out, there was a loud cry from the
Republicans in Congress to find and punish those
responsible for leaking this sensitive information.
This makes my stomach turn! When someone exposes an
agency of our government acting reprehensibly, we
should act to end the reprehensible behavior and
punish those who initiated the behavior not those who
brought it to light.

Several years ago, I visited a museum in Arizona that
had an exhibit of letters home from German POW’s.
Again and again, in those letters, the German
prisoners marveled to their families how well they
were being treated. Some even expressed the wish
that their families could enjoy the same care. What a
different message this sends to people who are at war
with us. When we live out Jesus’ command to love our
enemies, we make it possible for the enmity between
people to end.

You have a long way to go to earn my trust. When your
words do not match the actions of your administration,
and when your own Vice President is often heard saying
exactly the opposite of what you have said, I cannot
trust what I hear from you. I fear what will happen
if we continue on your present course.

I continue to pray for you.

Sincerely,

Mimi Ess