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Recalibrate
How did we ever get anywhere without GPS? I started driving before there were even cell phones, let alone satellite navigation systems. I remember having to have someone (anyone) give me specific directions, with landmarks and street names, if I was going somewhere I’d never been before. These days, I don’t think a thing about agreeing to meet someone in a place I’ve never been. As long as I have an address, I’m good to go. Unless I decide I know better than that annoying female voice. She doesn’t give up, though. “Recalibrating.” “When possible, make a U-turn.” “Recalibrating.” Then I’m doing the unconscionable: talking back to her. Using words…
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Tides
There are some places in the world where the ocean’s tide goes out so far that boats anchored in the bay will end up resting on the ocean floor awaiting the next incoming tide. I was a young girl the first time I saw this, and I found it both amusing and slightly alarming to see all those water-worthy vessels leaning precariously on the wet sand. Later, seeing them all bobbing quietly and securely on the high tide was a relief. Tides are dependable that way. I’m sure the fishermen never think a thing about it. The tide goes out, and they wait with confidence. Whether they stay on the…
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Small Things
Some days are harder than others. You know what I mean. Those days when the more you hurry, the slower you go. When it takes three tries to get your outfit even remotely passable. When your keys aren’t where you left them. When you get to work, only to realize that your card case is in your other purse, which means you’ve driven 30 miles without a driver’s license and have no debit card to buy lunch. When you think to yourself, “Can I have a do-over?” I know these are small things. They are what my children call “first world problems.” They are also the things that distract and…
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Unfolding
Time-lapse photography fascinates me. Watching a blade of grass sprout in seconds, or a flower blooming, fading and dropping its petals in the time it takes a heart to beat a dozen times. It is a technique in which the frequency of film frames captured is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence so when played as a video at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster. It is a matter of perception, of course. It does give one pause, however, and for me it is a beautiful but sobering reminder that humans are but a vapor. (James 4:14) And, we are often prone to assuming we…
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Tell the Story
I love a good story. One in which the hero is admirable, the villain is despicable, and the distressed are saved when evil is conquered. Sounds simplistic, I know. The complexities that make a good story, though, are often found in the well-defined depth of the characters as they grapple with their own weaknesses and aspirations. Friendship, loyalty, and courage should save the day against wicked schemes and betrayals. Forgiveness and mercy should push back the darkness of isolation, and the “end” should imply a continuing journey giving rise to hope. It’s probably a good thing I’m not seeking to publish the next great fantasy novel. I might be mired…
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Flying Free
When I was a young girl, we had a swing set in our backyard. I adored swinging, pumping my legs and pulling with my arms on the chains and going so high that the a-frame legs would rock up out of their ground settings. When I got as high as I dared without tipping the whole set over, I would launch out. Carried by momentum, I would soar through the air (imaginary cape floating behind me) and land in a crouch on the grass. I had achieved flight. The freedom was breathtaking. Jumping out of swings, sliding down the tallest slide. Spinning on the round-a-bout with my head back and…
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Good Seed
Sometimes in the Spring, when our neighborhood association is late mowing the empty lot next to our house, the grass gets covered in small yellow flowers. I happen to love seeing them and am happy with the tardiness in upkeep. I know they are Dandelions, and I also know that most people only see them as obnoxious weeds. I’m not most people. These little wildflowers have beauty. They are also, surprisingly, both edible and potentially useful in medicinal ways. (Google Dandelions and see what you can learn about them.) As a child, I loved blowing the seed puffs and watching them float away. Still do, when given the opportunity. I…
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Invisible Attributes
The two of us are adventurers, sometimes foolhardy but always delighted by the challenge of accomplishment and the lure of the unknown. We went camping last week. Seven days and nights in a tent at our favorite mountain campsite, during which time we experienced the thrill of victory (setting up camp) and the agony of defeat (taking two days to get over it). Well, when you’re in your sixties, nothing is as easy as it used to be. Still, the beauty and majesty of Nature revealing the invisible attributes of the Creator were breathtaking, and we spent most of the days in quiet contemplation, meditation and prayer (Romans 1:20). Moss…
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He Lives
He is risen! Jesus defeated death and rose from his grave. What must it have been like for those closest to him? They witnessed with their own eyes his very brutal murder. They wept for him and wondered what the future would hold. They were torn between their love for him and fear for their own lives. In those hours between the evening of his death and the morning of his resurrection, they were laid low in their grief and uncertainty. How can we begin to imagine what they felt and experienced when they realized he was alive? Not dead. Not buried. Not gone. Alive and present. Jesus, the man,…
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Dying Well
Jesus said, ” “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it. For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:23-25 NASB) There are many deaths in this life. Some are easier than others. There is the death of your own preference when giving hospitality to those who don’t eat the way you do. There is the relinquishing of control when working with your teammates on a…