With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Recently I had dinner with a suspicious, skeptical, and evidently unhappy man. He had known plenty of shams and participated in a few himself. On most scorecards, his career had been a success. But not for him. I don't know about drudgery, but he had plenty of broken dreams... and he seemed intent on breaking those of others. While the food was wonderful, the dinner was unpleasant.

Last evening lightening bounced about inside the clouds. No bolt to the ground. No threatening thunder. This morning ten thousand - and more - fireflies are dancing in the meadow. My grandma's dinner table shines. It has, perhaps, been my desk for as many years as the family gathered about it. The coffee is strong and hot.

The unpleasant - or worse - and the pleasant are each real. But I am inclined to give more time and thought to the unpleasant. I see it as a threat to be deciphered or a fracture to be healed. I am, it often seems, called to action by the unpleasant. The pleasant I tend to take for granted.

Yet this morning, at least, it occurs to me that the unpleasant man is gone. My grandma's table is still here. The fireflies have returned for another summer. The lightening flashes as it has since the first second of creation. The coffee reminds me of my first sip in Vienna more than thirty years ago. The pleasant persists.

From the scripture assigned for today, "The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love, teach me your statutes. You have dealt well with your servant..." Beauty abounds and God's love surrounds us, may we make time, place, and opportunity to notice.