We don’t have to look far to see something about an endangered species.
One group or another fighting to protect something valuable.
People get on their soapbox and fight to protect what is near and dear to their heart.
Do we take the time to ask what is near and dear to God’s heart?

Last fall, a favorite author of mine, Wendell Berry, granted a rare interview.
Berry is described as a visionary, author, and a Kentucky farmer.
During the interview, he read excerpts of his poems and essays.
In no time at all, it is easy to see where he stands.

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As my cheese was being sliced at the food store, I thought of a little neighborhood deli.
I was trying to remember the name, which finally came to me, The Silver Slicer.
It was a tiny market deli where meats and cheeses could be bought.
I remember the large barrels of pickles that were always in front of the deli case.

Barrels with long chains on which metal tongs were attached.
You would lift the clear plastic lid and choose your large pickle.
It would be wrapped in special paper to be brought home and eaten later.
I always loved going there when I was a girl since they always gave you a slice of cheese.

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We have leather furniture in our family room.
A sofa, a love seat, and an over-sized chair turned at interesting angles for conversation.
The kind of furniture with the rolled arms and the metal studs down the side.
Every time I look at it, I am reminded of something from my childhood.

When I was a little girl, our doctor was just that.
Our doctor, plain and simple.
He was not a man with a title that specialized; one that set him apart.
He was just a Doctor, our doctor.

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We often use the expression, as the crow flies.
It is an idiom meaning, the shortest distance between two points.
The shortest distance aerially.
Not necessarily the shortest distance on land.

The great-circle distance is another story.
Key West and Pensacola, Florida are examples of this.
As the crow flies, the distance between the two cities is 524 miles.
However, the shortest route by land is 792 miles.

Sometimes we must go a round about way to get to our destination.

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I like the wildness of day lilies.
I like the way they bloom high above the green leaves below.
I like the way they seem to bow for the performance at hand.
I like the beauty of the lone flower swaying in the breeze.

Day lilies in bloom line the roads this time of year.
Outside one of my windows, day lilies bloom abundantly.
They cover a small hillside, protecting the ground from erosion.
Beauty and function, as God designed.

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I am still in physical therapy for my back for the next three weeks.
Three times a week I am worked on, and stretched, and pushed to the limit.
It will all pay off in the end.
I can already feel the difference as I learn to move differently and lift differently.

When I go to my appointment I see many of the same people.
We all seem to be on the same schedule.
Snippets of conversation go on all around me.
Ice, heat, weights, exercise balls, treadmills, elliptical machines are used to help us.

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She was doing what she did best.
She was helping and serving.
She had an apron on with the logo of the farm written across the front.

She was running back and forth bringing food to people.
Always time for a smile and a bit of catching up.
The farm that a friend and her family owns was having their one-year celebration.

Animals, face painting, food, ice cream, scrumptious baked goods, and live bands.
A celebration of all that God has done in the past year.
All the people God has brought through the doors; all the people who have been served.

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I needed a day to refresh my soul.
A drive to Lancaster County was in order.
The beauty of the farmland, the simplicity of the Amish, the quieter pace of life called me.

It was one of those days when rain was in the forecast, but not until later in the day.
It was one of those days when the sun teases you with its game of hide and seek.
It was one of those days when I breathed in tranquility as I drove along.

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I remember when my husband and I were dating.
I thought it would be romantic to take a walk in the rain.
Light rain, moonlight, and two sharing an umbrella would make the perfect evening.
Perhaps.

Not quite so perfect because I was wearing suede moccasins.
Moccasins get saturated very quickly.
They got saturated quickly and turned my skin brown from the dye that was used.
I got home; kicked off my shoes and found that I was still wearing the outline of my shoes.

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I love when everyone is home.
I enjoy our dinner conversations.
Reminiscing, discussing current events, and sharing funny stories round out the evening.
The last dinner conversation we had concerned technology.

We discussed how technology has exponentially increased during my children’s lifetime.
We talked about how technology has exploded during the lifetime of my husband and me.
They all laughed at our remembrances.
Some things they found hard to believe.

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