Contemplating Life

  I sat alone in a small town laundromat yesterday Thinking and reading my Bible As my over-sized bedding tumbled. The air was warm And fogged with the aroma Of laundry soap and fabric softener. “ Jesus and drier sheets.” It was really quite peaceful. I sat alone in a small town coffee shop yesterday Waiting for my favorite flavor That I was treating myself to. It was quite crowded And I sat quietly amid the intensity of the voices As conversations swirled around me. I just sat and absorbed While I waited. The air smelled of life’s good things- Coffee, pastries, and friendships. I sat alone in my truck yesterday On a small town main street Sipping my coffee And watching the people going about their business. Some were in a hurry; Most were focused As if they had somewhere to be. I did not. I just sat And calmly watched And sipped It was really quite peaceful Absorbing the life Of a quaint small town With people I do not know. I sat alone ye

  Once upon a time, there lived a farmer. This farmer lived in a plush valley of wonderful soils and perfect temperatures which allowed the farmer to grow the most amazing vegetables year-round. The farmer loved growing his vegetables which he would then take up and over the surrounding mountains to sell in the villages nearby. However, because the mountains were so rocky and uneven and any semblance of a trail was too unstable, the farmer could not use a cart or travois. He was forced to carry his vegetables upon his back. This was very difficult as the amount of vegetables he carried in his pack made the pack very heavy. Nevertheless, every few weeks the farmer would fill his pack with his latest produce and carry it over the mountains. There was a God who lorded over the farmer’s valley and all the surrounding mountains. He loved the farmer and saw how hard he worked. The farmer’s back was beginning to bend and his knees and hips ached often because of the enormity of the loads he

  I recently went through one of life’s tough experiences – communication breakdown. I tried to convey something to someone, and not only was I not heard, but in the end my words were twisted out of context and intent. Not being heard is one thing, but when your words are twisted and made to seem something they are not, then it really hurts in the deep places of your heart. (For me it went really deep – I shoved my hurt into my stomach which is a lifelong pattern, and I ended up physically ill for days. Thank God for a favorite quilt, weak tea, and the prayers of a sister in Christ.) Now in what I am going to say, I am not trying to bring God down to our level. I know that He is greater and more mysterious than we can ever wrap our heads around. I know that scripture says in Isaiah 55:8-9 “’My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.’” Nevertheless, I find myself wondering if the pain of being misunderstood and

  In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon said, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” The more I study history and the more I study the Word of God, the more I find myself nodding in agreement. (Some days I think I look like a bobble-headed doll – my head nod ding throughout the day .) As I watch the things playing out in our country, in our world, none of it is new. It has been the same throughout time – same song just different words. There are always those who seek power and control, whose greed defines them, who manipulate and lie and use fear to coerce the masses into obedience. We look aghast at Nazi Germany and wonder how the people could accept what they accepted and do what they did, but in truth, Auschwitz wasn’t the first nor will it be the last of its kind in man’s inhumanity to man. It wasn’t until after the fact that people realized that Hitler and his cohorts manipulated information, science, religion, everyt