I was watching Saturday Night Live las night. One of the jokes on Weekend Update was that West Virginian Senator Joe Manchin has said that he will not support the Global Warming initiatives in President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Bill…as the comedian added that he was speaking on a typically 80 degree October day.

Jeff took me with him to one of his business recruiting sessions while we were staying in York, England. There was a room full of friendly people and I was impressed with their interest in the financial opportunity that my friend of 50 years was offering them. As I sat and pondered what I was going to say in my introductory remarks for Jeff…I coughed and generally felt terrible due to a cold that had taken hold of me on the last day that we were in Edinburgh. A woman sitting in the row in front of me turned around and asked if I was alright. I naturally assumed that she was inquiring regarding my several bouts off coughing. Thus I began to explain my sudden illness and yet my pleasure to be visiting with my friend at this event. I later discovered from Margo that ‘Are you alright?’ is often a greeting in England. I though what a lovely way to say hello and show concern at the same time. MJ and I have become extreme fans of both the streaming service BritBox and Acorn. As we enjoy programs on each site I notice the frequent use of the greeting/question…’Are your alright?’

Job was the centerpiece of Pastor Kerry’s sermon this morning. Kerry illustrated that Job exemplifies that life, ‘Is a wild ride!’ There are both times of extreme suffering…and extreme joy. As Kerry said, ‘It is not for the faint of heart.’ I think we become a bit unbalanced when we expect predominately bad times…or when we anticipate the majority of our lives to be a good and pleasant land…filled with milk and honey. Thomas Edison said that genius, ‘Was 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. It is possible to feel the euphoria of inspiration and the strength to climb every mountain on one day…and to know the depths of the valley of the ‘Slough of Despond’ the next.

Rollercoasters are popular. As we ride at an ever increasing speed and make 90 degree hairpin turns…and then climb to the top of the rollercoaster hill…only to drop like a stone to the bottom…we laugh and scream and tears come to our eyes… Such is life. It is a mixture of wondering how you got here…why you are here…what you should do next…and being enraptured with the love…and the beauty….and the miracle of…life…