It is in the 60s today in Little Egypt and it portends the coming of Spring. Have you noticed that once winter is done…the other 3 seasons seem to fly by? We have a holiday planned in Maine for September and that is less than 7 months away. Valentines Day is over and MJ’s birthday is less than 2 weeks from now. Next month is our 44th anniversary…and it seems like yesterday that we tied the knot. I used to see old people celebrate their 50th anniversary and I wondered how that could be possible…and now we are 6 years away…

I am an introvert that loves people. During my many years in management…and before that in ministry…I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to facilitate my desire to help others. I have always been supremely comfortable sitting in the back of the church and my fellow congregants knowing little about me. Prior to my entry into management at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale, I loved being liked by everyone and being a live and let live soul… During my career, I noticed how each year seemed to go by quicker than the one before. At the onset of my promotion to the assistant superintendent of Building Services two of my colleagues told me that they felt sorry for me as I had the lions’ share of my career to work before I would reach retirement age…and that most managers at the University were never able to achieve so many years on the job. I determined that I was going to use my position to help others and to make our department more inclusive and welcoming of minorities and women and the intellectually and physically disabled. My last 26 years flew by as I was engaged in a mission that I thoroughly enjoyed…

This is my first day on the writing porch in many weeks. A cool breeze is blowing and all that I need to wear is a sweater for a winter garment. As I become elderly…I reflect more…I suppose that is normal… I wonder how our country forgot its’ mission of inclusion and hope for the hopeless? I wonder how our churches became country clubs for people who are members of our societal rank and income and education level…or how our churches became armed bastions for our hybrid political/religious tribal beliefs… I wonder how we forgot the Golden Rule…

The Universal Clock is ticking…our family is suffering…God is Watching… Jesus told Judas to do what he was going to do…quickly… We are all fascinated with the end of the world…but when we die…the end of this world has transpired for us. We live in a world of striking beauty and abject suffering. We live in a world of unlimited opportunity and slavery… We seek the blessing for our family and have been blinded that the human family…is our family…