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Let Us Run Together
We were barreling down the highway doing close to eighty, and there were still cars zipping by as they weaved in and out of lanes avoiding other cars that appeared to be loping along. There were about 20 semis in the far-right lanes also jostling for position. It should have been terrifying, but it hardly registered with me. What we take as the normal state of things today is vastly different than what it was a hundred years ago. And it occurred to me that we humans have had an amazing ability to grow accustomed to managing an ever-increasing speed of transportation. It takes constant situational awareness, judgment, and flexibility…
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Fragrant
We sat at a high top in the corner of our favorite little French crepe shop. The room was noisy with patrons of all shapes and sizes, and it was filled with the aromas of coffee, toasted sugar and spices. We smiled across the table at each other, sharing without words our delight in this small eddying pool of human expression. As my eyes wandered the room, I saw in the far corner a young family of four. They were also obviously enjoying themselves. The youthful mother sat next to an infant carrier, soaking in the wonder of her baby. The burly father sat opposite them with a toddler who…
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Grateful Service
I spent the drive to church this morning telling my husband all the things I was carrying in my head about my upcoming work week. It was kind of him to listen (he is a patient man), and it actually did help me process a strategy of approaching the somewhat daunting tasks ahead. Being on a project team in the defining stages of a product build for a new core processor is not for the faint of heart. Not only does it require a certain nerdiness, it also requires courage, endurance and flexibility. As we were approaching the church property, however, I was slightly chagrined that I had by-passed our…
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Shared Life
We had come to the last destination, before home, of a seven-day road trip. Our mode of transportation was a Harley Davidson Dyna-Super Glide, replete with backpack and side saddles. That day we’d traveled more than 150 miles in near 100-degree weather, and we were more than ready to peel off our leather chaps, riding gloves and helmets. The inside of the lodge of the small lake resort was blessedly cool as we trudged to our room. It might seem that we’d want nothing more than to stretch out on cool sheets and not move a muscle until sun-up, but it was our last evening before the final homeward stretch,…
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A Life Laid Down
The first time I saw a picture of my mother’s father, I thought it was mom with short hair. We had just moved into a new house, and I was “helping” in ways that only a seven-year-old can. It was a lovely picture of his head and shoulders in a polished wooden frame with bowed glass. I was quite taken with it and had about a hundred questions because I didn’t recall anyone ever saying anything about the pretty man. Mom’s only answer: “That was my father. I never knew him. He died in World War II when he was eighteen years old.” I tried off and on over the…
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Awake
The dryer is humming, and my sweet husband is putting away the groceries that just arrived at the front door. What did we do before grocery delivery? A fire is dancing in the fireplace, and I am letting my mind wander in the midst of this sweet domesticity. The stuff of life has a way of comforting me, and I find my heart swelling with gratitude. Maybe it is the heightened awareness of little things that comes on the heels of an extended illness. I’m so very glad to be present and able to attend after being brought low where everything seemed to be just too much trouble. It feels…
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Life Together
“Do what you need to do,” he said. “Don’t worry about things here at the office. Your team can handle things. We can’t do much about the illness you are facing, but we can and we will support you working from home as you need to. We are praying.” This kindness brought me to my knees in gratitude for God’s provision and for His weaving the thread of my life in with those of such precious people. My co-workers. Bless them, Lord, for their love, generosity and care, and return it to them in good measure, as they all carry their own unique life burdens. The bond forged in laboring…
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A Bright Face
The Church service was in the last quiet moments after the message had been delivered and people were lingering in the Presence. The music was offering a buffer to soft conversations between the few who were beginning to make the shift toward leaving the sanctuary. I had moved quietly to sit just to the side and behind her so as not to interrupt whatever internal prayer she might be engaged in. Watching her face for a moment, I offered my own prayer of gratitude for this beloved daughter who brings so much joy to those around her. When she finally lifted her head and opened her eyes, I touched her…
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Made for Worship
As the Sabbath draws to a close and the sun is setting on this clear and cold day, I find myself at rest and not inclined to rush into the week ahead. These few moments of contemplation and meditation are part of the life rhythm God has ordained for me, and I am learning to let Him start the conversation or hold me close in the sweet melody of His presence. Sometimes it is all too easy to allow the future to crowd in and make demands. My list of things to do clamoring for attention. Repose before Him who is my Lord becomes my quiet worship and the place…
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Unopened Boxes
I slit the tape on the box and pried it open. A musty smell wafted up from the scrunched packing paper as I removed the top layer. One by one I unwrapped the items tucked within the box that had been in storage for several years and placed them on the dining room table. As I unveiled them, some long forgotten, I took a journey back in time. There were old journals with notes I’d made from my dear father’s sermons. There were books I had once held dear and now look forward to rediscovering. There was a lovely banker’s lamp (which my husband promptly swept away to a new…