Raging wildfires burning brush and farmland have broken out all across Australia and Tasmania, fed by widespread drought, high winds and months of record-breaking temperatures.

Another calendar year has come to a close. Many world events have come across our headlines; countries have elected new leaders, the sports world has crowned new champions, families celebrated promotions and graduations.

The U.S. Secretary of State was recently hospitalized due to a blood clot in her head. “The U.S. secretary of state, who has not been seen in public since December 7, was revealed on Sunday evening to be in a New York hospital under treatment for a blood clot that stemmed from a concussion she suffered in mid-December” (Reuters, December, 31 2012).

The night was black and stormy and the wind was furious. To my twelve-year-old eyes there was only one hope. I had just discovered I had lost an overvalued $20 bill earlier in the day as I was strolling home from a neighborhood friend’s house. I had worked hard to earn the money, and had a burning desire to get it back. So I prayed to God, asking Him to allow me to find my $20 the next morning. As a child, I knew God knew exactly where it was.

In the middle of winter few people, other than farmers, worry about precipitation. Most would prefer not to have any, as most of it comes as snow or ice. Few realize how vital and important winter precipitation is in recharging our soils with moisture and protecting our perennial crops.