Bits of Glass

I knew I had procrastinated too long. The yard was a jungle. I had used every excuse to put off this task, but today was the day it must be done. The neighbors had all mowed. I had the lone unkempt, tall grassland on the block. I started late in the evening. Unfortunately, because I was cutting a jungle, it was slow going. Every few steps required that I slow down, raise the mower to blow out the grass, then repeat. By the time I got to the last section of my yard, the sun was setting quickly. When I was about half-way through that part, the only light was from the streetlight in the corner.  As I guess-mowed, I thought about light sources and mowing. ( I know, my brain is weird ) When I mow the yard in the sunlight, I can see well. It's easy to see where the grass needs to be cut and use that as a guide to know where to turn. I can see fallen twigs, the neighbor kid's nerf darts, and the wire from the old sprinkler head that I mowed over last time. In the sunlight I

It wasn't twelve stones from a riverbed, but it was a reminder of God's miraculous work in my life. I stumbled across this memento while looking for a scripture to accompany a blog post. I reached for a small red Bible that was on the shelf above my computer. (I don't move things around much, this Bible had been there for a very long time). I was shocked when I thumbed through the pages. There was evidence to show that this Bible was given to me at my high school commencement service in 1984. There was an old Sunday School envelope with my maiden name and “high school” written in the blank for class. I had checked boxes for Present, Bible Brought, and Worship Attendance. This blast from the past took me back to a time when life was easy. I thought I had this Christianity stuff down pat. Fill out the envelope, check all the boxes, follow all the rules. Pretty easy right? As I turned a few more red-edged pages, another relic fell from its hiding place. Th

At the clap of thunder my dog Pumpkin came running. He jumped into my lap and climbed onto my shoulders. He is terrified of loud noises. (also leashes, any type of cord, and the vacuum cleaner). He shakes and pants until the noises stop. He doesn't trust me when I tell him its okay, he thinks the thunder (or the firework, the leash, or the vacuum cleaner) is going to get him. They say dogs and owners resemble each other. I'm not scared of thunder or fireworks (okay, maybe sometimes the vacuum cleaner). Sometimes, like Pumpkin, I am fearful. From one thunderstorm to the next, Pumpkin forgets that he is safe. He doesn't remember that the vacuum cleaner didn't eat him last time. I think that even though I have protected him before, he doubts that I can or will do it again. Sometimes life's circumstances are scary. A change in a relationship or a medical diagnosis  may startle us like a clap of thunder. Uncertainty in a job situation or in finances may send us