Church was wonderful this morning. There was neither the clanging of cymbals nor the beating of drums but a calm assurance of being in the right place. The quietness of faith overwhelms me. The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting, the Bible tells us. We live under the canopy of angels. Often, we are anxious without reason. Our story progresses. There is a peace that passes all understanding. We live in disquieting times. Clowns to the left of us and jokers to the right, the song tells us. We are stuck in the middle with Grace.

The darkest of nights yield to the brightness of the new morning. The mountain we could not climb is but a foothill. At times, we felt alone, misunderstood, and rejected. The devil was peering through the crack in the door. He smiled a wicked smile. He danced an Irish Jig. Job’s comforters told us to curse God and die. We considered their admonition. Scraping boils with broken pottery is not for the faint of heart. Then the light shone through the same crack in the door that the devil was peering through earlier. Suddenly, we knew everything was going to be all right.

Autumn winds are blowing this afternoon. Moms held their kids’ hands as they explored the Trillium Trail. I was snapping photos of the massive rock face when a young man asked me if he was at the right place for rappelling. He figured that the Old Man with the brown leather hat must know. It is Sunday in September. The year has flown by. The Holiday Season is knocking. Life is good on the Blue Orb. Crickets are singing. A change is coming.

We hunger for purpose. What is it all about, we say. Is our purpose to get a good job, buy a home, and have two cars? Is money the measurement of our success? Neva J used to tell me that money can not buy happiness. In those golden days of youth, I thought that I would like to see for myself. Mr. Rabbit ran across the lawn. He was late for an important date. He had his three-piece suit and a wonderful hat. He had a stopwatch attached to his watch fob. Mr. Rabbit was known for his expediency. He got things done. If you want a job done right and quickly, ask for Mr. Rabbit. Robby Rabbit felt good every day. He was the Energizer Bunny. That is, until a car hit him on Giant City Road. Robby was laid up in the Wildlife Hospital. He pondered his mortality. His fast friends in business seemed to forget him. ‘Hello, my friend…are you feeling better?’ Tom Turtle asked with a wide smile. ‘I brought you a couple of thousand-piece puzzles to put together during your convalescence,’ Tom Turtle said with a grin. ‘I put these puzzles together over the winter months when it is too cold to get out of the den,’ TT said. ‘It will not be long before you will be in racing form again, and we will marvel at your exploits,’ TT laughed and winked. ‘You are the fastest rabbit that I have raced,’ TT noted. ‘We will race on the same team this time and drink from the winner’s cup,’ Tom Turtle danced about as turtles do when they are happy.