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Ecclesiastes 3: Sadness

I remember when my daughters were about 5 and 6. I was driving the icy highway between Nipawin and Tisdale Saskatchewan. It was Spring time. The weather was changing but this afternoon there was black ice on the road. I hit the black ice not speeding, but going too fast. I lost control of the car. It crossed the road, hit the ditch and rolled over a time or two. I was completely disoriented and in shock as I looked back to see if my kids were safe. The car was upside down. I remember undoing my youngest's seat belt while she was dangling above me, only to have her plummet down to the ceiling. We were fine. I was in shock. I wandered out into the highway; no one hit me. The police and other help were there right away. The car was written off but none of us had a scratch (Maybe Sarah-Grace a small scratch from when I undid her seat belt.)

The next day or so I drove that same stretch of road (in a different car, as that one no longer ran). I pulled the car over to the side of the road where the other car had flipped. I got out of the car and I looked around. It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing; the snow was almost gone; the black ice that we slid on the day before was certainly gone. It was a beautiful day. And then it struck me ...even if we had all perished in that car crash yesterday, it would still be a beautiful day today, the birds would still be singing, the snow would still be melting and the ice would be gone. As a new pastor then, this remembrance has struck me at every funeral that I have been a part of. The beauty of life continues. As sad as life can be at times - and it can be sad; I have been sad. As sad as I can be. Tomorrow somewhere, for someone, the birds will be singing, the snow will be melting, the ice will have gone away; it will be a beautiful day

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