On Sunday afternoon, October 23rd, I was in the wonder land of fall in Ohio as I drove my neighbor to see the colorful scenery. I chose country roads with slow and less traffic. To end the two-hour drive, I stopped to get ice cream cones at a drive through McDonald's. When I gave the money to pay for our cones I was told that the woman in the car ahead of me paid for them. I drove behind the car but did not recognize the woman. So I waved and stuck my head out my window and said “Thank you! God bless you!” We ate our cones wondering who the woman was and what a blessing it was to us. As I am writing this article, it is sad to know that it will be the last fall ride I will be able to take with my 93-year old neighbor. She will be moving to Lancaster in the spring. That will be a big change in her life, and I will be missing a wonderful friend.
In life, there are many changes: some good, some bad; some happy, some sad. Changes depend on the choices or comments we make and how we react. We need wisdom to help us understand the changes and choices. Ecclesiastes, the book in the Bible written by Solomon, is about Man's Reasoning with Wisdom. Chapter 11 verse 7 reads: It is a wonderful thing to be alive! If a person lives to be very old, let him rejoice in every day of life, but let him also remember that eternity is far longer, and that everything down here is futile in comparison. Verses 13 & 14: Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man. For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad.