There are a lot of things happening in the world right now that seem to be of great consequence.  Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza.  We are in the trough of what looks to be a world wide economic recession.  There are ominous changes occurring in Russia and much of Eastern Europe, China, and the entire middle east.  Technological advancements in energy, electronics, aerospace, medicine, materials science, agriculture, and communications continue to accelerate in a way that will very likely change they way our children and grandchildren live and for which we are ill equipped to prepare them.  I am getting to the end of Jeremiah in my read through the Bible.  It is interesting that the changes described there appear to be as monumental as what we see in the world today.  World powers fought.  Cultures were required to conform to the demands of conquerors.  There was economic ruin with rampant famine, disease, crime and moral depravity.

It is not hard to imagine something even bigger than 9-11 or Pearl Harbor that plays havoc with the unprecedentedly privileged lifestyles we live today.  Reading through the devastation described in Jeremiah has evoked a desire to enjoy the small, but very, very good pleasures with which I am blessed today.  Lorena and I love to talk on the telephone during the day and over the counter top when I get home from work.  Kelly, Christian, and I love to read together on the sofa in front of the fireplace, knit, discuss what should be in the next Betty Blonde, and figure out how to make Christian’s latest graphic artistry just a little better.  Christian and I enjoy our Ham Radio construction project.  We all love to go to McDonalds and the Holly Springs Public library on Saturday.  Those are the things we will remember and cherish.

I want to work hard and plan for the future.  That is not incompatible with living in the present and enjoying the small pleasures that God has so kindly given to us.