Dampness and chill and wind are the traveler’s companions in Little Egypt…today. Chancellor Lane called a halt to classes today on the Campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. Four of our precious students have lost their lives in the past few weeks. The Chancellor called for a Saluki Care Day that will focus on self-care.

‘SIUC student Jacob Jurinek was 20-year-old junior studying journalism at the university. The Naperville, Illinois, native and his childhood friend, 21-year-old Franco Patino, were among eight people killed because of a crowd surge at the Travis Scott concert in Houston.’ Jacob is the most recent of the four students who tragically lost their lives. I considered today as I moved about Campus…that we are among the Hallows…the holy…and often do not realize it. When Freshman Keeshanna Jackson was shot and killed at an off Campus party…there was a memorial erected for her on Old Campus. I stopped and thought about the young person who had needlessly and unexplainably passed…at the Opening Curtain of Her Life… I saw a photo of her…just a few days before her untimely passing. She was on Campus and looked overjoyed to be there and to be a Saluki…

Many days we are tired or bored or disgruntle or dissatisfied. We fail to see the forest for the trees…we have our heads buried in our thoughts and are oblivious to…the holy…the hallows surrounding us at every turn in the road of life…

Tomorrow we will tear down our barns and build bigger ones… Tomorrow we will call our friends to check up on them… Tomorrow we will chill…and be happy…

Angels surround us…they are on our right side and our left…they walk before us and behind us…they shake their heads when they see us react obtusely to the life events that we encounter…