When school is out

A memorial at the tunnel in Switzland where the bus accident occurred this week. 
Photo courtesy of CBC.ca

This is March Break: the week when all the elementary and secondary schools take a break from the regular routine.  There are no yellow buses on our streets this week, but there is sad news about a mishap that has occurred in Switzerland, and so we are still reminded of students and how precious they are to all of us.  From this distance we can only pray for them, and for the families who must now face the tragedy, and seek to understand with the heart if not with the head the whys behind all of this.  Strangely enough, this also ends up being a week that is somewhat less cumbersome for some of us who are at work in the vineyard, or at least it seems that way.

In reality, the work continues: there are meetings of various kinds taking place, and even though the phone doesn't seem to ring as often, there is always something to keep us occupied.

A slower pace also reminds us of the fact that we all need a moment every now and then to reflect on the gentle presence of God who gives us frantic moments to test our mettle and quiet moments to reward us with leisure.  For some of us, either one extreme or the other can be a challenge, but when there's enough of both, life is just grand.