Wonder

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Aunt Eirene wants YOU!

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

We leave the sanctuary, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world of commerce and work, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world called secular and profane, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world of deceit and delusion, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world of technology and science, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world of violence and sound bites, but whither shall we go from your presence?
We enter the world you made and inhabit, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Let me introduce my better half.”

[No? No, He never said it.]

D. Blog: Wonder

Sometimes, imagine, words fail me. But I’ll try.

I see the morning sunlight on tree leaves that, in turn, case shadow designs on the ground. Here and there, a splash of flower color pulls at my eyes: look at me! A squirrel scurries across the deck, sure that a morsel of food lies waiting to be found. Chickadees flash above him to the feeder, where they know their favorite seeds wait for them.

I have already felt the rising warmth of this day when I went out early to do my quota of yard work, then gladly retreated to the indoor coolness. A short distance from our house, the sound of a mower informs me that a neighbor also decided to beat the day’s heat and take care of the lawn earlier than usual.

Here in the living room, I relish the sight of our collection of mementos and treasures that adorn our space. A dose of sadness impinges as I think of our 30-year-old neighbor, Heather, who sat here just a couple of months ago. She died earlier this week. She married Jim a couple of years ago, after having been in remission from Hodgkins lymphoma. It returned after she became pregnant with Kylie, born five months ago. Again, words fail us, no matter how much it matters that we express our sadness and concern, no matter how much acquaintance we have with death...

Today I will attempt to deal with my own new challenges, but I fear not. The overall picture, one that speaks millions of words, even in the image of Heather’s thumbs up signal as she lay dying, says Life is wonderful!