Scars or Perfection?

It's funny the things that jump start a thought process. Today it was shoveling through all the snow just dumped on the North East. Being recent transplants from the south we didn't have a snowblower. And since we both grew up in Pennsylvania, without a snowblower, it didn't seem like a necessity. This is our 3rd winter here and up until now, it hasn't been a necessity. Larry travels a lot in the winter so I'm often (let's be honest here--ALWAYS) the one who shovels out after a snow. The first winter was an adjustment, but most snowfalls have been 3-6 inches and quite manageable. This snowfall was way beyond manageable.

One other time we had a good bit of snow and a neighbor offered to help clear it off. My husband expressed concern that the plow would gouge the new driveway. I understand how his mind works. No one wants to have to repair something that was just done. And of course, we like to keep things in good condition. Yesterday a neighbor helped me clear our driveway by using his tractor with a front end loader to haul snow away. He was careful not to scoop too closely so he wouldn't damage the driveway. He obviously knows my husband, too! Today I had to go finish what he started. The 2 inches of snow base he left behind was compacted by the weight of the tractor. I had removed a good part of it yesterday, but what was left had frozen overnight and was now a block of ice.

Another neighbor saw me struggling and came over with a sledgehammer to break it up. We made good progress., but there was still a lot to be done. Chuck offered to come back and remove what he had left but he didn't want to scrape too closely. At this point I had decided it would take me days to get the driveway in usuable condition for my all-wheel drive car. And the thought process began.

How do we look at scars? Are they signs of damage and loss or a war fought and won? I have a very large and ugly scar on my abdomen. It is where the doctors removed both of my children at their birth. He was not concerned about cosmetic appearances. He was concerned about life. Since their birth, I have never thought about wearing a bikini. Scars are not pretty. But I've never been ashamed of it either. It is a symbol of something more precious than any thing I can imagine.

A driveway pales by comparison, but the real point doesn't. Any scars Chuck left on our drive as he cleared it to the black top for me will be signs of friendship. They will remind me of neighbors who came out to help each other. I will remember a snowfall so deep that everyone was out for days helping one another out. Mike with his snowblower cleared the sidewalks for several of us. Chuck with his tractor went up and down the street removing heavy snow from neighbor's drives. Kristen bought bread for me at the store. Jen called to offer a plow. (Yes, that sounds like the easy answer, but the plow driver couldn't make it out to our place because the roads were too bad. Ironic, isn't it?)

As a friend recently pointed out to me, how we define perfection affects how we see the real beauty right in front of us. I'll take scars over perfection, any time!