An annoying start to the new week

Well it's Monday, I have a fairly busy day ahead, it's a beautiful morning, there was a nice light rain in the night... and the new roof on our porch leaked yet again. Then, while I was processing the roof leak annoyance, I realized that our newspaper had failed to arrive on the front driveway, effectively sabotaging the morning routine.

It's amazing how - like a tiny rock lodged in the toe of a shoe - something relatively insignificant in the great scheme of life can work disharmony and angst so easily, and serve to frustrate an otherwise great day, a day full with promise and possibility.

So I'm reporting this as part "A" of today's blog - the reality part. I'm zooming off to an interview in a few minutes and I'll be discussing my spiritual "blahs" with God on my way there. Watch this space for part "B", my report back on how this life-examined manages to process an early morning lean toward a bad attitude...

PART B: All righty then; I'm back from my morning stuff and now have a little time to reflect. So here's a good question... Does God teach us more deliberately, when we begin the day by asking for a little divine wisdom? Or, is God always in the teaching mode and we just happen to notice when we task ourselves with paying attention? Or, am I simply riding some kind of a hot streak here and I'm going to wake up one day wondering why I ever thought God was interested in talking with me...?

So I arrive at my interview and it doesn't take more than a skinny minute to realize that it's all about perspective... This woman had lost her flower shop to fire, just a few days after Christmas. The inventory was a total loss, the building was a wreck. One story after another poured out, and things haven't got much better in the past few days. But, and this is so important, she is committed to moving forward. She rented the space next door, she's working her tail off, and she plans to be selling flowers again by Wednesday this week.

So my roof leaks... so my newspaper didn't show up... so? Big hairy deal! I am blessed with so much - but more importantly I'm blessed with the grace of life, and it is a life lived with people I love and it is experienced in the context of a community that - pretty much - "gets it" most of the time.

This is going to be one amazing week. I can tell already.
Grace and peace - DEREK