A GLOOMY SUNDAY

It has been an overcast day since the moment I awoke.

The sky has been awash with various shades of lighter grey, with slightly detectable chinks of light,

Our favorite spot, next to the "J" tree

however, the gloom of the day was not reflective of my mood or that of those making their way to worship.
I glance at the clock, I have time to contemplate this peaceful interlude between arriving and worship.  There is an inner sense of a calm moment of reflection and gratitude.  The kind of serenity that only God can give.
 My eye lids are heavy as I fight the urge for a quick nap.  My two am yogurt rendezvous is catching up with me and the coffee's magic elixir has not taken affect.

  The parking lot is a bevy of activity as spaces quickly disappear.  My eyes jerk open as I spy the canary yellow Mustang followed by a Hyundai make an entrance, circle the lot and then make a hasty exit in search of a spot, the lot is full.
My otherwise amoral thoughts drift back to the late 1960's, my senior year of high school precisely.  All of my crushes, yes all three of them drove a Chevy Corvair, a somewhat cross between a Porsche and VW Beetle with a rear engine.  Some called it the "poor man's Porsche.

VALERIE with two little friends, camping

  They loved to show off and one day, I sitting in a rear seat of a two door, no seat belts, almost ended up in the ditch after skidding sideways along the gravel edge scaring the bejeebies out of me.
 Years later around 1972, I bought my first car, a 1966 Plymouth Valiant, for $300 only to have my husband years later total it.  It was a sad day when Valerie was towed away.
 The much celebrated, Mothers Day colors the day. Stroller parking is at a premium, the presence of many young mothers brave enough to weather all obstacles.  Strollers line the hallway, strollers line Grace Walk, strollers line outside the nursery, strollers everywhere! 

It is an incredible sight, signs of growth in keeping with today's sermon, Galatians 5:16-26.  
Behind each of those strollers is someone walking, either walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit.  "By their fruit you will know them."  Christ demands and commands us to obey.
KEEP WALKING, KEEP WALKING!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY