Turning Aside

This weekend, Steve and I went to Pennsylvania. We began our day on Saturday with a stop at Fallingwater, a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. On the way, we came down a hillside and were surprised to find a beautiful set of waterfalls in a river running along the side of the road. We had to pull over and take pictures. It was beautiful to look at and gorgeous to listen to.

And it was completely unexpected.

We had planned the weekend, but we couldn't have planned this. It reminds me that we need to be open to the unexpected -- the interruptions -- the grace of the moment. It was a spectacular treat for a 10 minute stop on the way to our destination, and if we hadn't stopped, we would have missed it.

Take the time to stop.

We went to a Thanksgiving service this evening. It was a community service held at our church. The rabbi from the nearby synagogue preached the sermon. He told about an interpretation of the story of the burning bush. He said that perhaps other people walked by the bush as it burned, ignoring it, not taking the time to stop and explore this magnificent wonder. Moses stopped. Moses paused and turned to see what was going on, and God said, "You're the one I have been waiting for."

Turn aside, and notice the work of God.