The beautiful September weather almost distracted me from the huge oak that fell across the back corner of our lot in Birmingham earlier this week. No real harm done, but it reminded us of the other oak that hit our house two years ago and poked a hole through the kitchen ceiling.

There is nothing we can do about healthy-looking trees on adjacent hillside properties. Nor can we control the perfect combination of soaked soil and gusty winds. Life is full of risks and consequences, some of which we can control and others which are totally beyond us.

The trick for all of us is, as the Serenity Prayer goes, finding “the wisdom to know the difference.” Friends, as the pandemic rolls along, I encourage you to make a daily inner check: Can I do something about this? If so what? If not, how shall I stop stressing about it?

I pray and hope for all of us to find the wisdom to know the difference!

In wisdom and grace,

Rev. Ruth