Quick note at the end of a long weekend (or the beginning of another long week -- you decide).

A photo in the LA Times caught my eye (and heart) this week. I was browsing through a paper in my daughter's classroom, so I am not even sure what section and what day the photo ran. I think it was in Wednesday's paper. I saw it on Friday, while rifling through a discarded pile of papers waiting for my turn to speak. It was a quick snapshot of 2 young Hassidic Jewish men, preparing for the holiday. They were going about the task of scrutinizing palm fronds for the festival. You see, the palms had to be without blemish, so the young men had jeweler's monacles to review every cm of the leaf. Their eyes were squinted and their expressions were intense. My first reaction was to laugh, because they really looked comical with their young handsome faces all scrunched up like that to look at a ridiculously narrow leaf. It was clear that their objective was to reject as many leaves as possible, finding only the perfect one (s). Wow. How could any palm frond not wilt under that intense scrutiny? How could they ever find one good enough?

And then the connection came. You know how it does sometimes: you understand something deeply, before your head really gets around it. The church, the scrutiny, the monacles -- magnifying the imperfections...so not You, Lord.

Thanks, Jesus. I really needed that this week. I can't promise I won't come back to the worry. But I will wait for you to show me the truth--and even make me smile in the process...Bless those lovely young boys in the photo. Help them in all of their "looking" to see You....