I was struck by the brilliance of the colors of the woods this morning. The same woods that I go to most days. Often it looks new. Is it new, or am I seeing it with new eyes? The changing of permanent things is mystifying. Ask two people what they witnessed at an accident, and they will have two accounts of what transpired. Physics believes that we assign meaning to what we see. The atomic and molecular structure of all things is constantly moving. Are our surroundings stable in our mind due to our brain’s clever trick?

The Pope passed away. He was a wonderful example of servant leadership and was inspirational to over one billion Catholics and all who watched or knew him. He saw humanity through love, not power. The Pope refused the Papal apartments with their luxury for a boarding house where he lived his Papacy. He wore the shoes of the common man and not the red slippers of the elite. He washed the feet of prisoners and embraced those who had been forgotten. A man called by faith for a big job.

The sunset on the April day. The people came on the day in their regular manner. As Jim Croce sang, there were planes to catch and bills to pay. Yet the day was different. Today was the first day of many lives. Today was the last day of many lives. The day was marked by long-anticipated retirements and weddings. It was special for its uniqueness of purpose. A day when the addict said Help is what I need. A day that dawned with possibilities. A day of opportunity. A day of hope.

‘Today I will begin losing weight,’ Chet said with determination. ‘There is something about April that gets my juices flowing,’ Chet laughed. ‘Somehow I suddenly realize I can do it,’ Chet noted. ‘No one can stop me as this April day is mine,’ Chet danced on one foot and then the other.

‘Today I will write and continue daily,’ Billy B proclaimed. ‘I have wanted to do it for many years now is the first day of the Writing Project,’ Billy B announced. ‘I will write from my sense of place, speaking of what the world looks like to me,’ Billy B said.

‘Preacher told us to carry his words to all the world, I will carry them to the poorest among us who have no voice, hope, and love,’ Jane said. ‘I will tell of the brilliance of color and rainbow of possibilities that I see in our kaleidoscope earth,’ Jane smiled with tears in her eyes.

‘Then I saw a ‘new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…’