Admittedly, I do not have the final answer to those disappointing situations but, for my own part, I approach the question like this. Yes, the Bible is about God, but not entirely about God. Realistically, it is about God and us, we humans, the human race of whatever race, color and nationality or religious persuasion we may happen to fall. Given that assumption, we might well expect to read many events, many stories, and pieces of history that are not particularly spiritual and uplifting. The story of humanity is a mixed message: we are not totally good nor totally bad. The beauty of the Hebrew Scriptures, however, is that they describe the human condition just the way it is: the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. If human life were perfect, the Bible would not make for very interesting or inspirational reading

I must confess to one very jolly, roly-poly uncle in my family history who has always fascinated me: Uncle Bert as we knew him. A photo in an old album portrays him standing near a fancy new Buick. He is dressed for his “business:” Suit, nicely pressed, sporting a flat-topped straw hat that many dandy men wore in those times.

Uncle Bert was a man who did not fit the “agricultural mold” of our family. Rather he was a man of the road, a salesman and purveyor of schemes. Never rich, he nonetheless, enjoyed his lifestyle. What he was best known for was the “ability” to tell fortunes for a small fee. I’m sure this career did not last long inasmuch as many of his predictions and other schemes often came to naught as a hoax. Nonetheless, he was a happy man, working daily at his “career.” He thought of himself as something as a “prophet.” The title gave the semblance of weight and credibility to his “trade,” but my sense is that eventually he did not have a great fortune to leave to his heirs.

Nonetheless, there are instances in our lives that are critical, moments when we do have sufficient time to decide well about our future. The decision to continue our education, for instance, is critical, so too the decision to marry and have children or not to marry, yes even the opportunity to accept a position in another part of the country and move far from friends and relatives.

Very few of us, however, find our profession or our vocation all alone. Someone, at some point in our life, entered into that passage and invited us to look at life again, perhaps in a completely different manner. In some sense then our futures are made for us.

I can remember at least two instances in my life when someone made all the difference in my future. One happened to be the mother of a girl whom I was dating in high school, a wise lady who helped me see my way through an infatuation!

The second person was a chaplain-colonel in the U.S. Army who took me under his wing and steered me to a seminary at the University of Notre Dame; the rest is history!

At the time of the Twitter incident, the pope made an off hand remark that modern communication is a new and blessed way to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; the “New Evangelization,” he called it.

True, that original home may not exist any longer or perhaps we have moved many times since our birth. Nonetheless, that building where we spent our early days, the back yard, the swing hanging from the old cottonwood limb, the street where we rode our tricycle, all these memories are part of our very humanity. Here is where we first got a sense of the world around us and somehow discovered where we fit in. In short, certain places leave an impression on our very soul. This is where life began for us.

Of course, I often wonder what I would do with the time saved if I never had to wait for anything? Good question. I’d probably waste it on some other useless activity.

An example may make this clear. I admit to the fact that I have never been a talented athlete. I could get along in the sporting world of my younger days, of course, but when it came to the matter of choosing up sides for a softball team, I would always end up being chosen last, or if chosen, being sent to play the position of right field when balls are rarely hit!

Now, turn your attention for a moment, if you will, to nature’s seasons; are they not a delight to behold? We await them with great expectancy, each of them carrying the matchless character of their individuality. In other words, without change, life on this planet would indeed be doomed to remain a cloud of grayness, dullness, nothing more.

I imagine most of us must feel a certain sense of sadness when we face “end things.” Summer, obviously, is swiftly ending and autumn is upon us. Even the glorious colors of the hardwood trees cannot quite keep us from the sad realization that we will need to bear up with bare branches until spring comes around once again.

On the other hand there is also a certain feeling of fulfillment, knowing that we have been the beneficiaries of all those lovely summer months. We have been richly blessed indeed.

Obviously, whether for good or ill, there is a dollar value attached to talent: young men, even during their high school careers, begin thinking of entering the pro ranks and becoming rich. It doesn’t work for everyone, of course, but many people who are skilled in sports look forward to an affluent lifestyle. We live in a highly competitive world where human talent is eagerly sought after.

Speaking only for my self at this advanced age, I must admit that I did go through those three stages of life although I did not recognize them at the time; I was too busy growing up.

The issue might be simpler to understand if we could look in on another person’s life from the outside, from childhood all the way to advanced age. Of course, while we are observing someone else, we too are growing up. Big problem!

Do those little pieces of clothing conversation sound familiar? Hey, it goes on all the time at least in the secular world with which I am actually not all that familiar.

Or if you are ever wandering through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, check out the royal attire of kings, queen, princes and princesses, or even a lowly baron or baroness. Ostentatious, fancy, overdressed to say the least.