Discoveries

              “You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.” — Nate Berkus

            This week Terry and I impulsively headed out of town to a favorite restaurant only to learn the establishment was not open that day.  So we explored the little town and found a restaurant where we had never dined before.  We had a delightful conversation with the waitress, who it turned out knows one of my colleagues. 

            Later that evening we headed in a different direction for our typical evening walk.  We discovered a beautiful path that parallels the Yellowstone River.  Along the path, someone had planted what they named “The Garden of Eatin’”   The owners of the property had placed a bench facing the river, with a sign that read;  “Sit down awhile, enjoy the view. It’s God’s gift to me and you.” 

            How dull life would be if we never ventured beyond our usual haunts.   Sometimes what propels us to expand our horizons are events that we didn’t welcome.  In my own life, I recognize several such events,  One Sunday afternoon in May 2008, I felt compelled to call my friend Susan, who headed bereavement at a local hospice.  I asked if she had any openings where I might work.  This made absolutely no sense to me.  I’d never had any desire to work in hospice.  But only a few weeks later we found we had been defrauded in our business and I would need the income that position provided.  But, what a discovery!  I loved working in hospice as a bereavement counselor.

            In 2010, hospice cut all the part time positions and I lost my cherished job.  But that led to my training in ministry, where I encountered a new path,  And only this spring, in a totally unexpected turn of events, we sold our home and moved far from home to Montana.  Now, after filling several part time and temporary positions, here I have assumed my first role in a settled (what was formerly called permanent) pastorate. 

            There is a lot to be said for the familiar.  But, if you find yourself yearning for a little something different, or, by circumstance are forced to make a change, add some spice with a foray into something new.  You just might “enrich your life immeasurably!”

May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter.  Shalom, Kate

Hope’s Café Bonus:  So maybe doing something as dramatic as selling your home and moving to someplace you never expected to go, is a bridge too far for you.  Just vary your routine a bit.  try a food you’ve never eaten; take up a new hobby; make a bucket list of potential adventures.  Wishing you blessings on anything you choose to undertake.