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This work consists of a compilation of shorter pieces, including stories, parables, anecdotes, and recollections, all under the umbrella of reflections. Some of these pieces the reader will find quite funny, though the fun often has a strong punch line. Others, in places, are, frankly, poignant or even painful, as is the normal way with life. Within these pages is a rich array of topics, themes, and moods, covering a span of many years. It is all non-fiction, consisting of descriptions, reflections, and, in many instances, words we felt we heard from the Lord, concerning my, or our, experiences, some reaching far back into childhood, and others more recent. In a way, this is not a work with one unifying and dominant theme, while in other, and deeper ways, it is very much so. The underlying dynamic of hearing God gurgles along like a stream beneath a mill, providing the energy to turn the wheel that grinds the grist into flour, which is then kneaded and formed into the bread of the finished work. Hearing is an integral part of how we relate to the Lord and, through Him, to others and to the world. Hearing is central. It is the glue-or, to keep the analogy, the gluten-that holds it all together. And just as relating to God is central, so is its corollary, relationship with others. These inextricably intertwined themes, we trust, will be abundantly manifest from beginning to end. There is always some larger message in anything, for it is, after all, a sacramental world. Indeed, a sacrament is a sort of parable in action. The larger parabolic messages, the most profound things, are often found in the small, the hidden, and the subtle. Our intent is to demonstrate this intriguing reality by offering these stories as teaching vehicles, as parables, though they are not always titled as such. These reflections are little windows into our lives and histories, written with the hope that others will not only enjoy them but identify, and perhaps even gain some insights into their own situations. We believe that the reader will find ample occasion to smile, to laugh, or to cry with us, and, perhaps, even find healing and joy. At the very least, we hope the reader will find it all to be just good, engaging reading.
