Persevering

They were everywhere we looked--growing on the side of the road, along driveways, in front yards: blackberries, plump and juicy and ripe for the picking.  If only our trip (and the Washington summer) could last a little longer!  But despite all best efforts, as suddenly as those berries seemed to pop up out of nowhere they would soon be gone--gobbled up by greedy tourists and hungry birds and maybe even a local or two.

Not to worry, though!  Some sugar and some heat and there would be jam on toast for the winter months: a sweet reminder--summer preserved.

I'm pretty sure he didn't even realize his error, the reader on Sunday morning relaying an ancient message first written for a people long gone: persevere.  But rather than using that word, a reminder to stick with hope despite the shifting ground beneath our feet, instead we heard "preserve."

Now that may sound pretty sweet to those who wish summer could just go on forever, those who go kicking and screaming into the inevitable future, doing everything possible to preserve the past.  The thing is, preserves may be delicious, but they're not fresh berries, and even preserves don't last forever.  As swiftly as the summer flies, so too the winter.

Which leaves me thinking the ancient preacher had it right after all--rather than trying to hold on to the past that will slip through our fingers no matter how tightly we grasp--perhaps it would be best for us to simply let go, and stick with hope instead.

"...persevere in prayer."

Thanks for reading!  Have a sweet Labor Day weekend--and feel free to share these messages with family and friends.  Read past posts or subscribe to new ones at www.realacorns.blogspot.com.

(c) Stephen Fiechter, 2014.  All rights reserved.

          

Ups and Downs....

It's been said that life has its ups and downs, though most of us really don't need to say it. 

So it was for the mountain climber in Yosemite who recently climbed to the top of Cathedral Peak with his girlfriend where he proposed to her that they spend the rest of their lives together.  She accepted.  In a quick phone call home he reported it as "the best day of my life."

He fell to his death that same afternoon.

What can we make of a story like this?  How is it possible to reach a mountain top--to be able to say "this is the best day of my life," and then in an instant, crash to the bottom?  What kind of a world affords this horrible juxtaposition?

Well, THIS kind of world...that's what kind.  Our lives are filled with highs and lows and in-betweens.  Each of us has stories to tell of mountain-top highs and ocean-bottom lows.  Some don't live to tell their stories.  But something tells me that whether on the mountain top, in the valley below, or somewhere in-between, we're not alone...

Which may just make it all---every high, every low, every in-between---worthwhile.

Whether high or low or in-between, you are not alone!  

"If I make my bed in Hades, you are there."

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Gimme a Break!

It's been said that in a single day in 2014 we receive as much new information to process as a person in the Middle Ages would have received in her entire lifetime.  Can you even wrap your brain around that?  Is it any wonder that we so often feel so worn out?  We live in a world of information overload; our brains are being asked to process an enormous amount of data.

No wonder I can't find my car keys!

We all need a break from the barrage of information.  Regular sleep is a good place to begin.  It's also a good idea to disconnect once in a while:  I promise the world will not stop spinning if you don't know the latest headlines, haven't read your email, and don't know what's on sale at Target.

But your brain will thank you for the break--something even the ancients understood when they received with joy that weekly gift that continues to be honored across the traditions.  Many still call it the sabbath.  

It seems that someone knows us better than we know ourselves, and is telling us to unplug and rest.

Remember the Sabbath, and keep it.  (Wholly!)