The card was on the kitchen island.
It was waiting for me when I got downstairs.
I knew by the red envelope, it was a Valentine.
My card to my husband was also on the island from the night before.

I thought he would get downstairs first in the morning.
However, a meeting changed his schedule a bit.
I was downstairs before him.
We each opened our cards at the same time.

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I was looking for something in the attic.
There are really not too many things up there.
We put industrial shelves in the unfinished part of our basement.
Many things are down there instead.

There are still a few bins that belong to some of my children.
There are some boxes of old photographs that belonged to my aunt.
There are empty gift boxes for whenever a present needs to be wrapped.
There are a few larger Christmas decorations that seem to have a home there.

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It happened again.
I was writing something on a piece of paper.
Someone who was watching me write my contact information made a comment.
Oh, she’s a leftie!

The man asked my husband if I was the only left handed person in our family.
My husband told him I was not.
I’m left handed along with two of my children, I added.
Three out of seven of us, I said.

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Her card came in the mail.
It looked like a picture Christmas card.
Upon opening, I saw it was a change of address announcement.
The picture was lovely; it made me miss my friend.

There are so many ways we are connected.
First through a mutual friend.
Then from Bible study.
I remember the day she first told me that they were moving.

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If we are honest, we would admit that we get distracted from time to time.
Sometimes, distractions are a good thing.
They are little detours that break up the monotony that occasionally plagues us all.
Sometimes, distractions are not a good thing like when we are driving or operating machinery.

Distractions in church is another thing altogether.
Our mind wanders.
It doesn’t matter how wonderful the sermon is, our minds tend to go off somewhere.
Our mind goes to our lists, or the problem that demands our attention.

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The planning began after the creativity conference.
Someone had the brilliant idea to host events across the country.
The events would continue what was started in the fall.
The events would support what was close to many of our hearts.

The creativity conference was called HUTCHMOOT.
Those of us who are part of the community are affectionately known as Rabbits.
We are lovers of books, art, poetry, and music.
We are lovers of God.

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I was out of my comfort zone.
I was traveling by myself.
I was flying on an airplane.
I was renting a car when I landed.

For those who travel often for business or pleasure, what I did may not seem like much.
However, for those who know me, it was indeed a big deal.
My dear friend admitted that she never thought I would actually do this on my own.
I think it was surprising to many.

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For the first thirty minutes after entering church on Sunday, we sing.
We sing to the Lord.
We read Scripture.
We pray.

Each week, different worship leaders bring their own gifts to that special time.
No two weeks are the same.
I appreciate that.
Whether we sing hymns or contemporary worship songs, our focus is the same.

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I saved my money.
I could not wait to go to the store.
I went to buy what I had been waiting to purchase.
I went to buy a record album.

I remember coming home and carefully opening the plastic that covered the album.
I carefully pulled the album out of the paper sleeve.
I held the album ever so carefully around the edges so I would not scratch the record.
I tried to keep my fingerprints off the vinyl as well.

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It was my husband’s idea.
Let’s have a family vacation the week of your birthday, he suggested.
He sent a text to the family.
Everyone was excited and on board.

He rented the house.
We would go back to a place we had been over half a dozen times before.
Yet it had been five years since we had vacationed there.
Our children looked so young in the pictures from that vacation.

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