It was to be a youth group talent show.
My son was anxious to participate.
He had taught himself guitar after mastering the drums.
He wanted to share his music.

He was nearing the end of middle school at the time.
Notoriously, the awkward years in a young person’s life.
The time where encouragement and support are vital.
The time when everyone is learning how to maneuver those middle years.

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Some people can go into a grocery store and come out fairly quickly.
I am not one of those people.
I would like to blame it on the fact that I take the time to buy organic things.
I would like to say I am just a careful shopper.

That is partially true, but there is more to it than that.
I take a long time because I always run into people I know.
I take a long time because I find people fascinating and enjoy listening to them.
I always leave myself a block of time so I am not rushed at the grocery store.

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The mother pointed to the display.
Look at the pumpkin, she said while her little girl squealed.
Her little sister was in the shopping cart seat.
She was too busy putting something in her mouth to notice a pumpkin.

You and your sister are going to be Elsa and Anna for Halloween, aren’t you? More excited squeals and preschool conversation that went on a mile a minute.
You are going to look just like Elsa and Anna, the mother continued.
Their voices faded as I passed them.

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A favorite story of mine as a young girl was the story of Heidi.
Heidi who lived with her aunt after the death of her parents.
Heidi whose aunt left her with her reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Alps.
Heidi who endears everyone who came to know her.

Growing up with Shirley Temple movies, that version of Heidi was always my favorite.
I felt her loneliness when Heidi was first left in this unfamiliar place.
I felt her fear when Heidi was taken against her will to Frankfort, Germany.
I felt sorry for Clara, the invalid girl Heidi was to befriend, until I realized she was spoiled.

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It’s just like the sweater on the table, my mother often said to me, making a point.
She used this example to teach me a lesson about human nature.
It was her go-to statement based on her own experience.
It had to do with Gimbels department store and a display of sweaters.

My mother was one of three sisters.
She was the middle sister.
Her youngest sister, the aunt I took care of, was a career woman.
As a career woman, her style and clothes were impeccable.

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The winds have changed.
The wind we thought we could count on has shifted.
The wind we took for granted is now blowing strongly in another direction.
The weather vane we hardly ever noticed is pointing towards unknown territory.

A ruling is not the only thing that changes the winds of culture.
Elected officials are not the only ones who can shift the direction.
Appointed men in black robes overreach and reverse the weather vane of society.
This group and that group affect change.

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Many people tend to think of ministry as happening in a church building.
Others think that ministry happens on the mission field in some far away land.
Few think about the significance of ministry in your own backyard.
Somehow it is not as grand and seen as less important.

Surely individuals are called to foreign missions.
The Gospel need to go forth and needs to be heard to the ends of the earth.
But what about Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria? (Acts 1:8)
They were the backyard locations that needed to hear the Gospel as well.

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My husband is looking all over the yard for a beach ball.
Not just any beach ball.
A beach ball that was here a few days ago but now it is gone.
Since it is large, blue ball with yellow swirls, he does not understand why he cannot find it.

Beach balls, soccer balls, and basketballs tend to get lost.
They lodge underneath the cars parked in the garage.
They roll down the hill and into the woods.
My husband found a lost soccer ball, but the whereabouts of the beach ball is a mystery.

Isn’t that always the way?
When you’re looking for something you never find it.

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It was the night of the preschool closing program.
Little boys and girls who will now be moving on to kindergarten.
Little boys and girls who will grow to be men and women, mothers and fathers.
I was watching the future unfold before me.

There they were in their bright colors.
Little girls in dresses and little boys in nice pants and a button down shirt.
They all had Hawaiian Leis around their necks.
There was a palm tree behind them and an assortment of tropical decorations.

It was a celebration.

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I hear the commercials on the radio every morning.
Advertisements for banks and lending agencies fill the airwaves.
Each bank offers an enticement that is better than their competitor.
The banks want your business: they want you to deposit; they want you to borrow.

The Sunday newspaper is filled with them.
Advertisements and supplements for various stores.
Each store has its own special deals for the week.
Grocery stores have coupons; retail stores have unique bargains.

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