I have said the same thing twice in the past few days.
The words were said to different people in different conversations.
The words opened up a deeper discussion.
The words were simply: The world is so broken.

Don’t get me wrong, there is such beauty in the world.
We only have to look at a glorious sunrise or sunset and we sigh at its perfection.
We only have to hold a newborn baby and marvel at the mystery of life.
We only have to gaze in the eyes of those we love to see the gift of family.

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I went to three funeral services recently.
One was for a beloved pastor from a former church.
The other was for the mother of a dear friend.
The third was for the mother of the associate pastor at my church.

The services were beautiful and uniquely suited to each person.
The families honored their loved ones well.
We, who knew them, knew even more about them after the service.
All of them believed in the Lord Jesus and trusted Him for their salvation.

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It was just a simple luggage lock.
I found it in a drawer near my desk when I was looking for something else.
I brought it to my husband in his office.
Do you have any idea of the three digit code for this lock? I asked him.

We tried all the obvious numbers we could think of, but none of them worked.
There were no instructions, so we had no idea how to reset the lock.
All of our grandchildren were coming over for dinner that weekend.
We knew our oldest grandson would love the lock.

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I saw them as I sat at the end of my farm table in the kitchen.
I wanted to make sure I saw them correctly.
I got up and walked into the dining room to look out the front window.
I saw them correctly.

On our front lawn, I saw two large bucks.
The antlers were there, though not at large as I know they will be in a few months.
I tried to count the points, but could not count them from where I was standing.
Well, isn’t that ironic? I said to myself.

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My son-in-love and oldest granddaughter came over on the weekend.
He wanted to borrow one of our kayaks so he could take his daughter on a nearby lake.
This granddaughter just had her seventh birthday.
I truly do not know where the tine is going.

I was on my computer, at my farm table in the kitchen, when I heard the door open.
It is the door from the garage into my laundry room.
Soon I heard her footsteps.
Like my own children, I actually know my grandchildren’s footsteps as well.

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We walk up and down stairs every day.
It is an activity we are able to do on autopilot.
We rarely think about the time when we were unable to climb the stairs.
Anyone around small children knows that there is such a time.

I remember when my own children were small.
The stairs seem to call to them.
We put a gate at the bottom so the temptation to climb the stairs was thwarted.
It wasn’t going up the stairs that was a problem; it was the coming down.

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It was one of those gray days.
Misty rain changed to actual raindrops without warning.
No need for sunglasses.
No need for the visor to be pulled down as I drove around doing errands.

I pulled into the parking lot of my natural pharmacy.
The building used to be an old bank; even the vault is still there.
I tend to park in the same general area.
I noticed it as I pulled towards the parking space.

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I was at a conference this past weekend.
It was so nice to get away.
It was so refreshing to be around others who love art, music, and literature.
I was in my element, as the saying goes.

It was in my favorite place with Amish buggies.
I was in the city, with its Central Market, art galleries, and bookstores.
I parked my car in the hotel parking garage and walked wherever I needed to go.
I people-watched outside and fed my soul inside.

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My husband just returned home from the Dominican Republic.
He had been there for sixteen days.
He takes a trip like this each year to build homes for people.
He has been all over the world.

He was on a team of fourteen people, eight of whom he had built with before.
Many are retired, like him, and enjoy giving of their time and energy to help others.
The block house was completed in a weeks time.
To the family, their new home was palatial, compared to where they were living before.

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I simply love local theater.
I love to support it.
I love to see the incredible talent.
I love getting lost in a story for two hours.

I am grateful that such a wonderful local theater is nearby.
I appreciate their choice of shows, which they unveil at the beginning of the year.
It is so nice to plan which shows to attend.
It is so nice to plan the shows to which I can take my grandchildren.

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