Letter from an unpredictable life

I'm tired this morning as I make my rounds to coffee corner to hang with the retired guys, then to the hospital to connect with my weekly visits. I'm tired and I was in bed shortly after 11 last night, up at 7am, so I really have no excuse.

There's lot's of tension around here these days and I honestly don't know where it's all coming from, but it just is. Tomorrow I head off to help with a leadership retreat in the mountains. I'm talking a bit about spiritual direction in a leaders life, and I suspect we will also be offering it if anyone would like to spend some time with me. That ends with my return Sunday night.

Then Monday morning Lauralea and I are heading back to the mountains for the yearly pastors and spouse retreat. It's a pretty focused, tightly packed time, but the drive can do us good. We'll have someone staying at the house the whole time, so I'm not too worried about burst pipes and such.

Life is finding a  rhythm at our house this autumn. The girls are making their own ways in the world, up hills and down, and the guys are settling into school trying to get used to life in the next grade and it's tougher demands on them.

Lauralea isn't looking forward to winter this year, which really is a new development. She usually anticipates it with some enthusiasm and joy which just isn't there this year.

For all the comfort the rhythms of life provide us with, it sure gets wobbly when the old rhythms aren't working. Maybe that's an indication of the need for new rhythms and order. Perhaps that's the direction to look in.

Whatever it is, life is anything but predictable. At least throughout the unpredictability of it all, there are a few things which are certain and true to us, and I guess that at times like this it's good to hang tightly onto those things.

Hope your day goes well.