I had to send a text message to a friend.
She and I were trying to coordinate schedules.
Someone we both know had died and we planned to drive together to the visitation.
I selected her number from my phone contacts and wrote my usual lengthy text.

I remember reading a quote from the mother of mathematician, Blaise Paschal.
I have never forgotten it.
The quote seemed to apply here.
At least I seemed to understand it.

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My friend’s daughter is studying to be a nurse.
She already has her bachelor’s degree.
She went to nursing school after college.
She is at a teaching hospital, learning and getting hands-on experience as she goes along.

Countless times my friend has sent me a text.
Her text asks me to pray for her daughter.
Perhaps it is because a big exam is looming ahead of her.
Perhaps it is because of the stress that is ever present in nursing school.

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Sometimes ordinary days and routine activities become extraordinary.
You never know when a moment matters.
Not only when the moment matters but when it matters a great deal.
Day in and day out we walk this earth with others.

We pass people on the street.
We stand behind others in line.
We live on the same street as our neighbors.
We see people as we go about our routines each day.

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My husband walked into the kitchen.
I ordered something, he said quite pleased with himself.
I ordered an Echo Dot to go with our sound system.
I got an email; they were having a great deal, he said.

My husband is an engineer and enjoys things with bells and whistles.
Me, not so much.
My son and his wife have an Echo.
They enjoy using it.

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A few weeks ago, my oven displayed a code and beeped incessantly.
It was a code we saw before.
There was a problem with the heat sensor.
My husband replaced the heat sensor once before.

Since the same code appeared, the same part was ordered.
You should be able to use it, now, my husband said after the part was installed.
We turned on the oven to test it.
No code appeared.

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As we were driving past the row houses on the outskirts of the city, nostalgia hit me.
I saw a mailman walking on the streets carrying a mail sack on his back.
In his hand he carried the neatly folded mail for the next house he was approaching.
He wore a uniform, which on this hot day was shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

His shoes were work boots with socks that matched the color of his shirt.
He walked with purpose.
He walked the route that he walks each day.
He knows it by heart.

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I was waiting in line to make an exchange.
The person in front of me had an online return.
It was taking a bit longer to sort through receipts.
In order to pass the time, I began to people watch.

In this store, the customer service desk is directly across from the self checkout.
There was only one woman in the self checkout line.
She was emptying her cart and scanning all the items.
She had her little son with her.

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I went to a nearby church where a funeral service was being held later that morning.
I was there for the visitation before the actual service.
Funerals are always difficult but this one was especially hard.
This service was for a young woman in her late thirties, a wife, and mother of three small children.

I had been praying for her healing.
I had been praying for her husband and her very young children.
I trusted God to hear the prayers that were being prayed on her behalf.
God decided to bring her Home.

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It is VBS week at my church.
It is an exciting week, with many children coming into the church building.
It is a joy to see their eager faces.
It is a privilege to be a part of every evening.

There is usually a call for help.
Teachers, aides, someone to handle crafts, snacks, outside games, and missions are needed.
I asked about being part of a behind the scenes ministry.
A quiet ministry that is vitally important but is often unseen.

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It was just a quick stop in a store to look for an item I could not find in the store near me.
I was not familiar with the layout of this store.
I was walking around looking up at the department signs.
Pushing a shopping cart and looking up at the signs do not mix.

All of a sudden I was brought back to reality.
Can you help me with something?
A woman was standing in front of me holding two shirts, one in each hand.
Can you tell me which shirt would look better for a funeral? She asked me sincerely.

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