"No Man Is An Island..."

No man is an island, entire of itself;

every man is a piece of the continent,

a part of the main;

...any man's death diminishes me, because

I am involved in mankind;

and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee.

~from Devotions XVII :John Donne~

   This very familiar portion of literature embodies a thought that we all will face eventually: We are all a small part of the greater whole of the earth and in God's Kingdom. We have an impact on the space we occupy in some way. How much impact we make is often determined by ourselves, as we decide how willing we are to allow ourselves to be involved in the lives of others. The world is filled with suffering, sorrow, pain, and loss. It does not take so much-sometimes just a moment of listening and a sympathetic word, and sometimes it takes more of our time and resources to help lift a load a tiny bit. It is important that we take a little time, as we are, in fact, a part of the world in which we live: "a part of the main."  It is a startling thought that every death diminishes me, and when the 'bell tolls' at a funeral, it is tolling for a part of my world that will no longer exist. I don't mean to be morbid, but I have been involved in many lives in the past few weeks who have lost, through death, someone important to them. I am not an island, and these losses have also affected me in some way.

   In a little lighter vein, we have felt a little like an 'island' since we have been held close to home for the last couple of weeks; and we were not able to make the trip to Lower Brule as we usually do. We do not enjoy these Sundays, but weather and responsibilities here in Mitchell sometimes make it impossible to go. This Sunday, though, proved to be a very busy and fulfilling day; as many people seemed to be anxious to 'make up for lost time.' We were happy to have several for church this morning, and an unusually large group of children and young people for Sunday School this afternoon. I realized after everyone left and the church was quiet that I had not had a chance to get any pictures, as I was very busy. :) I am thankful that Ray likes driving the van to transport the children to and from Sunday School, as I am usually 'washed up' at the end of a session.

   I am sharing a few winter pictures with you. I think that winter is a beautiful time of the year; however, I will freely admit that I am not handling the cold as gracefully as I did a few years ago. I like the warmth of firelight, candlelight, and warm lamps; and a good book in a comfy chair. (Hope that has nothing to do with age!)

   Thank you for praying for the people of Lower Brule, as well as for Ray and I. One of the men had an especially pressing prayer request this morning, and we would appreciate if you would remember his request this week. May God Bless You!!