Written by the Story

Dear Good Shepherd and friends, About a week ago our Honda Odyssey died.  We had just dropped off our nephew at the Casey's off the DeSoto exit near Des Moines. Instead of turning around and heading back home on I-80, we figured we'd journey a few more miles to get groceries in Waukee. I took the earlier Waukee exit which takes you through old downtown Waukee, rather than the next exit down, which would have been the faster route that would have taken us right to the Hy-Vee in Waukee.  Well, our car died at a stop sign in the middle of old downtown Waukee. We were able to push it a block to a bank parking lot and get it off the road. As we did that a wonderful person pulled up and asked if we needed a jump. Of course we happily and thankfully said yes. But no cables. Turns out, the hardware store was conveniently a block down the street. We walked and got cables, got the car running.  But it was still not running well. There was something more going on. I suspected at tha...

                               Dear Good Shepherd and friends, I hope you all are doing well. I don't say that just as a matter of convention. I really mean that. I hope you're doing well. Because it's tough these days. There is a lot going on in our lives and in our world. And the flood of information, people having something to say, people sharing their opinion, debating, and arguing -- it's all very overwhelming. And it's tough to shut it off. You can't really. If you turn off social media, still your neighbors, friends, or family members are talking. They all have opinions. And it's important now to talk, to share what we're thinking, and how we're struggling. Yet, even if we agree with those around us, it's still sometimes too much to talk about everything that's going on all of the time. Sometimes, maybe, you just want to take the next exit ramp and get off the busy and overcrowded road for a while. Bu...