Tuesday, July 1, 2014 The sun shines brightly, blue green waves push toward the white beach, and the wind blows gentle and hot. I sit under the umbrella in the shade. “Remember,” said our good radiation doc. “stay away from the sun, and hot is not your friend just now.” There it is: Light bright and hot, and shade available and necessary. It’s like that isn’t it? We say we want light, but by necessity or choice stay in the dark. To live is to embrace diversity. And it sits, stands, walks, and swims close by. Three rows of umbrellas with two beach chairs each run a long way to the right and left of ours. And more people brave sun and sand without benefit of shade. I see tall and short, heavy and thin, dark and light people. I hear one groups music, another speaking Spanish, and I’m pretty sure there is a nearby Cajun what with ‘dis and dat these and dose.’ A Mom plays a game of pitch and catch with her son, a Dad puts Sunscreen on his boy’s back, two brothers argue back and forth finally breaking into laughter when one says to the other, “Now what was it we were fighting about this time? Vacation time. The coming and going. It is so quick, so unexpected, we know better, but continue to think ourselves the exemption. We are moving at 67 miles per hour in a 70-mile zone. Suddenly a motorcycle in front of us strikes a pothole or brick, and before you can blink your eye the driver is tumbling down the grassy embankment his machine finally motionless on its side. The rider, helmet with no leather jacket, is up and running toward his bike. Maybe he’s OK. We pray so. In less than five miles, Anthony sees something in the road ahead. It’s half a wooden deer stand, he takes a rapid look at the side mirror and we jerk across lanes missing it by several feet. The car behind us is not so lucky. The driver sees the problem, but an eighteen-wheeler keeps him from changing lanes, and a shower of wood and plastic bursts into the air like an explosion. The driver keeps his car in lane and slows to stop when he can check for damage. As a kid, I used to make fun of those signs along the road, “Prepare to meet thy God,” “Are you ready to meet your Maker,” and a number of the Barbasol kinds as well. Maybe we some of those in our head and heart places as we drive along the way of life. Whew! So glad this time it seemed to be property damage and no loss of life. But it happens in seconds, and there is no doubt that one motorcycle driver will be bad sore-- and I hope greatly thankful this day. As God’s people, let’s try to walk in the light as often and as much as we can, to use the shade to allow continuing, the appreciate the wondrous diversity of our world and ourselves, and to take the greatest caution to remember that at the pace we live and the way we do it, we do well to be ready to meet our God. In fact maybe wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing, that might be a good idea right now. I’ve got my hand on the radiated left side of my neck, and praying a prayer of thanks to God and to all those graceful people who prayed one for me. It’s true—I promise. Always love, always, Keith What a continued blessing to be with you by this means—regular or vacation time—at home or ‘abroad.’
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 11:37:52 +0000
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