This past week I was reminded once again that there often is beauty to be found even in the darkest of times.

Here in Wisconsin, as in much of the country, we have been going through a winter cold spell. For over a week, the temperature has rarely risen above zero.

From what I understand, it has been one of the longest cold snaps on record for this part of the country. Even in the best of times, this would have a way of sending our spirit into a deep freeze.

The fact that this cold spell has come during a turbulent time of pandemic and political division has only made this cold snap all the more challenging.

Fortunately there have been silver linings in this cloud of cold, one of them being the awesome sight that my longtime friend Dave and I were treated to during a recent run along the Chippewa River.

Over the years I’ve run along the Chippewa hundreds if not thousands of times.  But to the best of my recollection, this is the first time I have seen what I have since learned is commonly called “sea smoke.”

It is the term used to refer to the fog-like steam that is formed when extremely cold air meets warmer water.

On this particular morning, the sun and sea smoke rising above the Chippewa River were a beautiful, spirit-lifting sight and a welcome reminder of the value of pushing through challenging times.

As it says in a good book, it was a reminder of the value of “throwing off all that hinders and running the race marked out for us.”

Sometimes that race can be pretty darn cold. But when we hold onto our faith, we can rest assured that there are warmer days ahead!