Notes

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Excerpt
TO THE READER

"'What a beautiful Spring morning,' I thought as I readied the van for Sunday morning church services. After a long and arduous winter, spring had finally arrived. What joy and jubilee surrounded me! It seemed as all creation had waited patiently for this wondrous moment--and finally it was here. Birds were busy broadening flight paths and territorial lines in hopes of their new arrivals. Squirrels pursued each other from branch to branch in play or in hopes of attracting a new mate. Rabbits gathered on the outer edges of the yard just where the lawn meets the tree line--as kids and dogs frolicked in the distance. All of life seemed awakened by the promise of another spring. It was indeed a marvelous time to be alive.

This activity seemed to heighten as I maneuvered the van out of the driveway. People were everywhere. There were multitudes of joggers passing to and fro; night-clad neibors met each other across their Pickett lines. Dogs trotted reverently beside youthful masters on bicycles, as Dogwoods filled the air with color and spectacle. 'If this wasn't heaven, then I couldn't imagine it,'I remember thinking. 'My, what a beautiful and wonderfful world we live in.'

As I turned the vehicle onto the thoroughfare, leading out of our community, again I was struck by the number of people up and about so early, already congregating at the local restaurant. I reached for my sunglasses as car windshield after windshield refracted the morning's sunlight. In an instant, heaven seemed replaced by all that man had built and invested in as concrete and glass replaced streets donned with silver Maple trees. But 'That's okay' I thought as I pulled into Bronson's Senior Center. I was renewed and hopeful that faces would meet and remind me of days gone by--when people had the time for one another. As I got out to help my elderly friends aboard, I remember thinking how delightfull it was to serve them. They had spent a lifetime helping others. Now, in their Golden Years, they became a blessing to anyone who would spend time with them. It was absolutely amazing what profound things could exude from cold little hands and sunken eyes. I can only summarize the experience by the phrase: 'The peace and wisdom that surpasses all understanding.' No, it was not what I was doing for them but rather, what they were doing for me.

As I picked up the last group from an adjacent center, I turned into the church parking lot only to be greeted by white lines and empty parking spaces. Only the night watchman's car was present, encompassed in a sea of moisture. As I exited the driver's side, I glanced up at the steeple and whispered, 'I'm sorry, Lord. The people who aren't here don't know you anymore...'"

More to follow...