Choose Joy in the Journey

I stretched out and got comfortable with my fiction novel and waited in the main lobby of the VA Hospital while the pulmonary experts tested my husband in the lab.  I lifted my head to see a glorious sight.  A maintenance man wheeled a popcorn machine right in front of the dark mahogany leather couch I sprawled out on.  He plugged in the unit and soon the lobby smelled of fresh buttered popcorn. I’m a sucker for popcorn, my favorite snack.  There I sat alone next to the man and his machine and hoped he would use my taste buds for a free test run of that first batch of yellow popped delight.  What’s his purpose to make popcorn?  Will he deliver it to a staff meeting somewhere in the building?  Or was all this about fixing the machine?  Was it broken?  Who knows? The noise and smell of fresh popcorn drew attention of doctors and staff passing by wearing scrubs with badges hanging in the front like necklaces.  An Old guy wit...

Imagine retrieving your mail at the local post office and walking out to the parking lot to find the townsfolk swarming around your vehicle. That happened to the guy who parked near us.  People gathered around his car taking photos.  Excited neighbors asked him questions about his 1956 restored classic shiny red and white Chevy Bel Air convertible.  I picked up our mail and got into our truck and noticed my husband missing.  Where did he go?  He joined the Bel Air crowd taking photos with his cell phone. Next thing I know, he slides into our front seat and flashes a photo under my nose of the guy’s hot model.  “The neat thing about this car is the gas cap hidden under the driver’s side rear tail light,” the husband informs. I learned that not only is this beauty appealing to the eyes, but her not-so-pretty part was hidden from view.  She looked good from every angle. With two close girlfriends in tow, I drove halfway across the s...

My husband’s cousin and his wife visited a few weeks ago.  The guys play down their war experiences yet the topic of Viet Nam pops up in conversation.  Remember that war? The rebellion of the 1960’s tells many stories.  I felt unrest as a teenager in that decade. ·         Young people trampled on traditional values and hippies emerged. ·         Street artists drew daisy flowers on everything. ·         Girls wore miniskirts and boys grew long hair. ·         Ugly politics surfaced. ·         Many smoked marijuana and experimented with LSD. ·         Folk singers and rock musicians wrote anti war songs. ·         Rallies beckoned many to protest the Viet Nam War. Not all rebelled. My husband...

Post after post on social media seems to exclaim:  “This is the best Christmas in years!”  I shout “Amen!” as I read them and join in the excitement of my friends.  That’s how I feel this Christmas too!  It has been one of the best in years.  That’s because God did what we could not do! I’ m basking in the love God has for His children.  His desire is for families to be reconciled to Him and to each other.  Reconciliation!  Oh, the freedom of it! Ephesians 2:14 says:   For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. I listen to songs proclaiming the peace of Christmas and read the words in Christmas cards.  This year that peace fell upon our home and our family as we experienced the gift of it in a long awaited prayer request for someone dear to us.  As we enjoy our days togethe...