I have taken care of some very, very cold patients over the years. When I was a medical student, there was a man who accidentally bodysurfed a river — in winter, in northern West Virginia. There was one who stood resolutely in the middle of a pond in January, up to his waist in water, until he very nearly succeeded in dying.
But two of the saddest were older individuals. One wandered outside in only a thin gown in the Indiana cold. The other lay inside his house in South Carolina as the temperature progressively dropped because of lack of functioning heat. His body temperature, by the time he was discovered, was in the 70s. Fortunately both survived. However, it illustrates an important point.
Cold is deadly. This is something we take for granted in modern times. Many of us live with heat that springs to life with the flip of a thermostat or starter on the fire. This luxury would have seemed kingly to our ancient ancestors, who gathered wood with frost-numbed fingers to start a small fire just to cook and stay alive. They knew all too well that people died in winter, not only of starvation but also of cold.
Those who are poor or not able to get help on their own, those dependent on friends, family, neighbors or case-workers can easily suffer from the cold, even inside the apparent shelter of their homes — because a structure does not imply that one has power or heat.
Furthermore, some people, in an attempt to stay warm, will burn unventilated kerosene heaters or have wood fires in blocked chimneys. The poor, the old, the mentally challenged may suffer not only from hypothermia but also from carbon monoxide poisoning and complain of headaches or confusion.
The point being, winter has unique challenges for many individuals. Consider that neighbors, relatives, friends and fellow church members may not see winter as a time of snowy, icy delight but as a months-long time of suffering until spring returns. Remember to check on those folks.
Deadly winter is upon us. But, as always, sweet spring is not so far away.