Mandela and also Ice

Yesterday I heard that Nelson Mandela has passed away.  Let's give thanks to God for such a wonderful man.  I am a huge fan; even when he was imprisoned for twenty-seven years, he kept hope and also stuck to his morals, supporting only nonviolent protests against apartheid.  The world would be a very different place if he hadn't lived.

(I know, I know, the contributions of the more violent factions of anti-apartheid movements were crucial.  And I know he was human and imperfect also.  But this isn't an essay on history and politics.  It is a memorial to a great man.)

May God bless Nelson Mandela and his surviving loved ones.  And may He bless South Africa, the nation Mandela fought so hard to liberate.  They have come a long way since the early days of apartheid, but there is still much to be done to bring justice and equality there.  May God guide President Zuma and the other leaders of South Africa to abandon corrupt economic traditions and practices and may He bring peace and plenty to the many who struggle to survive there.

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In unrelated news, I'm iced in today.  Like, there's an inch of ice on the ground.  I really thought the weather people were making up fish tales—this is unreal!  Me and Roommate broke a spatula trying to get the ice off her car so she could move it to a space *not* under a tree.  Not as important news as the above, but it's life.

The trees are encased in ice, and the world is half-white, half-glassed, glowing with silver sunlight.  The air is cold, wet, and smells like fresh snow.  When I walk outside, there are places that are so packed with ice that I glide atop without leaving so much as a footprint.  It is absolutely beautiful; what a wonderful artist our God is!