Chardon, Ohio is probably the snow capital of Northeast Ohio. As I heard one Chardon citizen say on a radio call-in show about weather conditions in the area, "Well, it's coming down pretty good right now, but we don't really worry until it gets to three or four feet in one storm." And no one laughed because the man was serious. Chardon is 1,243 feet above sea level and Lake Erie is close, so the elevation and the lake affect snows make it ideal for big snows. Remember the blizzard of 1978? That is Chardon several times a year. I have been in Chardon several times when the snow on the side of the road was much higher than the top of the car. Once was for a track meet. Seemed kind of stupid having the kids out there running, but the track was clear and it was just a normal day in Chardon.

Last week, as the big storm was making its way through Indiana toward Ohio, I had a doctor's appointment in Chardon. It was the day before it was to hit (and for Northeast Ohio, it was a dud) and I was thankful to be able to get this appointment out of the way before the storm. As I neared Chardon, I was startled to see the roads were all white. No snow in the air, but white roads. And then, stopping at a red light, I saw why. The roads had been covered with a brine solution and then covered heavily with road salt. This is expensive, but Chardon can do this because one of the world's largest road salt mines is about twelve miles away. 2,000 feet below Lake Erie and several miles out under the Lake, this mine produces a tremendous amount of salt that is shipped around the world. But Chardon and surrounding communities just drive their plow trucks over every morning and fill up. (This salt mine is amazing, but scary. It is a four minute, fast elevator ride to the mine. Then there is the knowledge that above you is Lake Erie. And then there are occasional earthquakes in the area. Not big, but the ground shakes. I worked there for a while, but I was mostly above ground. It takes a special person to go down every day. Anyway.....) Still, it does cost a fair amount. Chardon, however, does this to make the community as safe as it can be. The salt melts the snow for the first foot or so and then they salt again. It is how they protect the community.

It made me think of how the Lord protects His own. There is a price to pay for salting roads like that. Aside from the expense, it affects cars and trucks, makes for a mess in the Spring and eats away at shoes and clothes. But lives are saved. Luke 12:6-7 tells us that God knows each sparrow; He surely knows us. Even to the point of numbering our hairs. And because God knows, we are shielded. It may not seem like it at the time, but the Lord watches after His own. When we put our faith in Him, it will work out. Maybe not as we would like it, but it will be for the best.

Romans 8:18 says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. He will not leave us or forsake us or ever let us go.

How cool is that!!???!?