Susan Beckett

There was once a pastor who visited a church member whom he had not seen in church for quite a long time. The pastor was invited into the man’s home and, being cold outside, the two of them sat in front of the man’s blazing fireplace for a while. After a bit, the pastor got up and picked out a hot coal from the fire and sat it aside on the fireplace hearth.

It’s said those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Probably most of you reading this can remember an event or situation where, in hindsight, you could have, should have, or might have, planned for a better outcome - if only you could have been able to see ahead into the past.

It was one of those evenings when the TV was on but no one was watching except for maybe Roxie and Boogie - our dogs. Then something was said that caught my attention— Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch was being interviewed — during the interview Gorsuch revealed that when he taught an ethics class at the University of Colorado he had his students write their own obituaries. Both a scary and novel undertaking for sure!

Crazy laws! They’re everywhere if you know where to look. For example, a small town in Alabama has outlawed bear wrestling, while an Arizona town forbids camel hunting. Another place in Arkansas prohibits honking your horn in front of a sandwich shop and an Illinois town has banned saggy pants! Go figure!

If you’re anything like me, I always thought prayer was pretty boring - and I wasn’t the only one! I once heard of a man who tried praying early in the mornings but kept falling asleep, so he filled his bathtub with water and sat in it, hoping not to nod off and drown. He was alive to tell the story so I guess you could say he was successful.