As a fisherman, I have a complicated relationship with the lotus. The American lotus is a wildflower that grows around the edges of ponds and in river backwaters. The fragrant yellow flower can open to a width of ten inches.

     The blossom appears to float on the water yet is rooted in the muddy soil beneath the surface. The submerged rhizomes form a thick mat that can entangle fishing lines and frustrate anglers like me. Coveted fish like walleye and largemouth bass also are prevented from inhabiting areas covered with lotus.

^“So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last” (Matthew 20:16, CEB).

       I recall Ted Turner once saying, “If only I had a little humility, I’d be perfect.”  We’ve all met people like Ted who, if they didn’t outright repeat these words, they most certainly put them into practice.  Oftentimes, such persons are the very ones staring back at us in the mirror.

     Between Cincinnati and Columbus, a large sign displays a rather direct message on the eastern side of I-71.  With white lettering painted against a black backdrop, the sign declares:

Hell Is Real.

     Not long ago, I read about a museum in West Virginia that holds a collection of tear bottles. During the nineteenth century, women who mourned the loss of a loved one would collect their tears in tiny bottles ornately decorated with silver and pewter. Special stoppers allowed the tears to evaporate. When the tears were gone, the mourning period would end.

Luke 10:38-42

      There are persons who have cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.  They assume tasks one at a time, completing one charge before moving on to another.  Then there is my daughter.  Courtney can watch a television show on Netflix while simultaneously texting her friend, talking on the phone to her husband, painting her toenails, and complaining that the lawnmower noise outside is distracting her.  Court is an uber-tasker.

     I am a Myers Briggs J. My wife, Cathy, is a P. For those of you unfamiliar with these designations. I view time as a precise measurement. Cathy perceives time as a guideline. When she says she’s be ready to go in five minutes, I watch the clock closely. Five minutes and one second is too late as far as I’m concerned. Five minutes for Cathy includes expandable boundaries.