A fence… just a simple snow fence… part of it standing as straight and tall as the day it was put up, while other sections lean askance or lay surrendered to the elements. 

Sometimes we see things that trigger thoughts and emotions.  And that’s what happened when I saw this photo taken and posted by our good friend, Hugh Van Staalduinen.  His wife, Kathy, and I have been friends since childhood; together, we’ve been family friends ever since our respective dating years.  

Hugh, a retired truck driver, has built a reputation with his hobby of taking beautiful bird and butterfly photos.  He finds Sodus Point a favorite spot for taking photos of not only birds, hawks and eagles, but of the lighthouse and gorgeous sunsets over the lake.  But, every now and then he ventures beyond the aesthetic… and his photo of a simple snow fence on the beach at Sodus Point, NY caught my eye.  It spoke volumes to me, and a poem was born. 

The Sodus area holds a special place with my earliest memories.  When I was about 3 to 4 years old, my dad worked for the Wychmere Dairy Farm.  I remember a trip to a Lake Ontario beach near Sodus then, and I can still visualize a ship on the horizon as I floated in my inner tube.  Years later, on a drive to Chimney Bluffs near Sodus Point, Hugh drove us down the exact same woodsy lane to the exact same spot on the beach which has been in my memories since childhood!  Then, as a teen, I climbed a section of Chimney Bluffs with steep spires of earth in constant change from effects of the weather.

But, in Hugh’s simple photo of a snow fence stretching along the beach, we see strong upright sections still connected to those which are leaning or have fallen down… as though the sections are connected by helping hands reaching out, an apt reflection of life.  For me, this fence evoked images of how we often become support for others to lean upon… the stronger supporting the weaker… be it the younger assisting the elderly, the parents helping their children, or the healthy aiding the sick. 

In James 1:19-27, with admonishment to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…[and] to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” my mind saw the arms of love reaching out like those of the snow fence.  With our loving acts of listening, kindness, respect and gentleness, we come to the aid of those in need. 

By showing this love in many ways, we meet others where they’re at…and shower them with true Christianity in action.  To sit silently by and do nothing is to stifle God’s love.  But, by abiding in His word and in His love, we are led to help those who simply need a shoulder to lean on, or a hand to lift them up after a devastating blow has laid them low.

Oh, the images that come to mind in the simplest of scenes!  Just a simple snow fence... with some sections standing straight and tall, some leaning, and some fallen down, covered by snow and ice… an image that speaks volumes if we but listen with our heart.

Fences by Linda A. Roorda

As I gazed upon a fence with slats

Meant to protect and divert a storm,

Significance seen in sections displayed

Some standing tall, some twisted askew.

We build our fences for reasons many

Some to protect and some to lean on/for décor,

Some as evidence of hearts hid from view

For a fence speaks well what words cannot say.

This image evoked by words unspoken

Is strength within that others may lean.

Blessed with a vigor which few can maintain

The stalwarts shelter when the weary falter.

Yet there are times when a fence is built

As a wall of sorts to block out life’s stress,

Some meant to hide, some shielding from harm

Both meant to offer a refuge from pain.

So fences we build across life’s terrain

Uniting with strength to carry burdens,

Supporting others in facing the storms

With hands held out like friends intertwined.

~~