fourth quarter

sometimes life is hard--like living in the 4th quarter. I'd begun to be concerned about Jenny's driving--left turns, difficulty navigating, etc. I decided that we needed to have a talk about this difficult subject. I began with an email. I entitled it "an important topic for both of us". I included an aarp link to an article that is entitled "is it time to stop driving?"  Jenny's reply was an unexpected surprise to me at first. She said that she realized that it was time for her to stop driving. I had expected resistance, and there was none. I figured that if I were her that I would have resisted. When I got to thinking about it later I realized that Jenny's unexpected response said a lot about her and a lot about God. Providence is a wonderful thing. God knows what's best for us and God delivers. It's important for the person who is delivering the message for God to be a Godly person.  Will I be as receptive to God's will as Jenny was wh...

I've never been much good at dealing with adversity.  it seems to get harder with age.  public domain  

Of others no memory remains, for when they perished, they perished, As if they had never lived, they and their children after them. Yet these also were godly; their virtues have not been forgotten. Their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants. Through God’s covenant their family endures, and their offspring for their sake. And for all time their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out; Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on and on. At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praises. Sirach 44: 9-15 * [ 44:1 – 50:24 ] As in the previous section God’s glory shone forth in the works of nature, so in these chapters it is revealed through the history of God’s people as seen in the lives of their ancestors, prophets, priests, and rulers. The example of these great people, whose virtues are recalled here, constitutes a high point of Ben Sira’s teaching. * [ 44:1 – 15 ] The reader is here introdu...

our lifetime is just a flash in the cosmic calendar. 100 years/13,700,000,000 years = 1/137000000 year = 0.23 second .  the average duration of a lightning flash is less than a quarter of a second. creative commons Lightning Strikes | Cloud to Ground Lightning Strike. ISO 25… | Flickr  

 this is the view from my patio. beautiful, isn't it? the tallest trees are about a hundred feet tall (there's a steep slope down from my patio). I spend a fair amount of time in my fourth quarter sitting on my patio contemplating these beautiful trees--especially during spring and fall. they're tall and strong. They praise their Creator by just "doing their thing"--serving the purpose that God intended for them--to give praise, glory and adoration to their Creator at all times. They're 100% good and 0% bad.  not me. why not? because, unlike the trees, but like all other human beings, I have a choice. sometimes I choose bad. it's my choice.  why doesn't God get rid of all bad creations and just keep the good ones?  I don't know.

beware of how you display your remarkable brilliance to others. otherwise, you may become a colossal bore.