Wednesday; November 28


          Even though my family has roots in West Virginia I had never really been there until last week.  I had been to Harper’s Ferry (which is technically in West Virginia), but that’s as far as I’d gotten.  First of all, I must admit that I was quite taken by the mountains in West Virginia.  Having lived in the Rockies I was a bit of a “mountain snob”, but there are really neat vistas in the Appalachians.  Now, having said this, there was one thing that I noticed – it felt like it took forever to get out of the state!  I like driving, but it just seemed like I would never get home.  With the tenuous winter weather, the small towns, switchbacks, narrow roads, fog and hilly driving I was flat beat when I got home.  I was never really worried or scared that I couldn’t do it, it just wore me out.
          As I thought about my trip back from the Mountaineer State, it got me to thinking about how life is for some people.  It isn’t that they are overwhelmed by or afraid of what is going on, it just seems like life wears them out!  They may be a single mom, a busy teenager, a salesman on the road or someone having to work two jobs to stay afloat, but life is wearisome.  When pondering this issue, two things came to mind:  First, if this is you, hang in there – you will make it!  Yes, what you are experiencing can be exasperating and frustrating, but don’t give up hope.  You will make it through to the end.  Second, if you know someone who is experiencing this type of lifestyle, give them a hand.  It might be as simple as slipping them a $20 bill, providing a word of encouraging kindness or offering to babysit every once in a while, but our simple gestures might be just what they need to get them through one more hill (or valley) in their life.
          Think About It!

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