"Diamonds.................................."

It’s early Wednesday morning here and I’m not in my normal routine, a dentist appointment this afternoon interrupting “life as usual”. In expressing my existence in such terms, however, I’m merely pointing to the regularity of a five-day work week, church on Sunday, Bible study tonight, all the ways in which we tend to order our steps as we, in truth, walk into eternity mostly like hamster in a tread-wheel. It is, after all, the nature of the beast if we don’t learn to experience the singularity within each moment as it comes to us. School, with the substitute teacher who has gained our unit, for me has become a continual flow of activity wherein her vibrant enthusiasm with the kids has taken us into abundant display of artwork and crafts. If we’re not creating snowmen and snowflakes in some form or fashion, we’re cutting out little penguin body-parts to assemble and glue together, decorating musical instruments made from empty coffee-containers or those cardboard cylinders left behind when the roll of toilet paper has been depleted. Quiet time is rare. At least one of our kids is always either unhappy, into mischief of some sort, or serving signals that there’s a need to visit the restroom. “Treasure”, though, is within the whole event, little things to keep and take with you, heart-warmers that mark it all as worthwhile: a child’s progress noted, even if only in an insignificant amount; a mannerism displayed by one of them wherein it’s evident that the two of you are connecting and communicating beyond a student/teacher relationship. I took my charge up the hallway to meet his mother yesterday. She was picking him up early and, coming around the corner from the office, she caught sight of us. “Mr. Jim!” she cheerfully exclaimed, putting her son’s name and mine together in the greeting and not realizing just how much it spoke to me of how glad she was about me being with him this year. Beth and I are dealing with the imminent death of her oldest brother. Our granddaughter is battling upper respiratory ailment again. This country is in a mess. Nonetheless, God is good, a melody that rises within me and meets me as I go….