We had the pleasure of living for 2 years on the edge of the Caspian Sea in western Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is hot in summer and cold in winter. Cold winter days oscillate between +5oC and -20oC. The nice thing is that the colder it gets, the more blue, sunny, and stunning the days become. When it stayed below zero, ice would form around the Caspian Sea, with swans swimming nearby, adding to the beauty.
At -20oC it is a dry cold. Trying to figure out just how many layers to wear for the day was tricky. When we looked out from the cosy warmth of our apartment at the stunning sunshine, it was impossible to gauge what to wear, and so we relied heavily on our thermometer. Being able to interpret the magnitude of negative numbers was essential for daily living. It helped us to know when we could feast our eyes on the ice formations—an unexpected, beautiful vista that reminded us to turn our eyes upwards towards our Creator, who had ‘imagined’ into being this exquisite contrast of translucent white ice against a vivid blue background of sky and sea.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
