“You better buy what you need now because our suppliers are out”, said the nursery manager. I dropped in last week to consult with them about my plans for a bunch of pots and raised gardens we have on our deck. Expecting to come back in a couple of weeks I suddenly came home to store what I need till frost risk ends.

The horror and absurdity of the destruction of lives, cities, families, and property over these many weeks in Ukraine weighs heavily on most of us. It seems hopeless as well as useless. I have struggled to find anything like Jesus in the story but recently found two temporary helps in my praying.

He was a blacksmith, an entrepreneur, a world traveler, a spiritual explorer and, my grandfather. John MacLennan, born in 1874 in the Highlands of Scotland where the economic prospects were brutal. By cart, ship and whatever conveyance he went in search of work. He worked in Egypt, (the then) Rhodesia, South Africa, served in Europe in WW 1 and amid all that had 5 kids. My mother and a couple of her siblings were born in Johannesburg and the other two in Scotland.

On our last day of a lovely week in B.C. I said to Susan, “The weather’s bad, we should have changed our flight to go home today.” Fortunately, she can just laugh off my impatience and we enjoyed our last day.