A Dip in the Moskva River the Eve of January 19

Nancy and Babushka in Yaroslavl, Russia on a beautiful summer's day

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The weather in Russia is currently making the news. this photo caught my eye in a series on the freezing temperatures, the worst in a decade, that's shutting down power plants, closing schools, and stopping traffic. It's a photo showing a man taking the "traditional dip in the Moskva River the eve of January 19," Epiphany in the Russian Orthodox Church.

I had the privilege of traveling in Russia two summers ago. We started in Moscow (Moskva) and ended in St. Petersburg. We were there for "white nights", in late July, when there were only about 2-3 hours of darkness in 24. We joined Russian families strolling in parks in the "daylight" at 10 p.m Russian families are small - - usually two parents, one child, and one babushka (grandmother).

We traveled on the Volga, and I couldn't help wondering what it would be like in the winter. Watching the people out in the parks so late at night, you could feel how important some warmth and sunshine were to them.

Well, this winter has been quite a winter for the Russians.

The picture made me think of a passage from my Resilience course:

There's a certain unpredictability to resilient survivors.

Reminds me of a great scene in the movie, "Gardens of Stone," where a character tells James Caan he knows we're going to win Viet Nam because helicopters are coming back to base with arrows in them.

"How can they expect to win a war when they're shooting arrows at a helicopter," he scoffs.

James Caan's character counters: "How can you expect to beat someone who will shoot an arrow at a helicopter?"

What kind of tough, resilient people decide to have a tradition of jumping into a River on the eve of Epiphany, when it's certain to be bitter cold.

It makes sense to baptise yourself in a river in Savannah, Georgia on some day you choose, like at the end of July, but a tradition that puts you in a River in the dead of winter? They had to cut through the ice to make the pool to jump into.

How can they not survive?

The photos are sobering. There's one of a woman reading by candlelight because the power has gone out ... some homeless people ...

I loved the country and the people, and I think St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city I've ever seen.

Thoughts and prayers to all who are resilient in the face of adversity.
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