Incredible

August is never a month that I love.

It's still summer. I really hate the heat.

It was formerly the start of the school year. I worked as a teacher for 29.88888 years and was imprisoned in a classroom for 12 + 4 then 3 more getting my master's degree.  I really, really didn't want to be there.

About halfway through my teaching career I stumbled upon Alice in Wonderland. Yes, I know.

I had read snippets from Lewis Carroll's famous book for years. I've seen the cute Disney version. (NOT the one ruined by Johnny Depp. Sorry if I have offended his fans. I don't find him aesthetically pleasing.) I did indeed like the cute Disney version.

But I didn't get around to reading it until I was in my 40s.  It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. It was filled with so many truths about life--disguised cleverly.

Here's one that guides me still and certainly for many years of check-box evaluations and students who like me didn't want to be there (and as you read, substitute insane for mad):

"But I don't want to go among mad people," said Alice.

"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here."

So here we are, and occasionally I still feel like Alice among the mad people, especially when I'm working my volunteer desk and the phone is ringing off the hook and people are coming in and more people act like they want to talk to me and I don't want to talk and--well. "We're all mad here." I mean, it's madness.  The mountains are 30 minutes away, and I'm sitting behind a desk?

But--.

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." That's Sharon Begley, a former science editor for Newsweek magazine and likely much much more than that, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

Because--

The important thing is that the incredible is right before us. It's God. It's all of his creation. It's the miracle of Christ, in his sacrifice and his resurrection. It's the joy of living. It's people.

And people offer the incredible with every word, every smile. Just like the miracles of nature and family that loves you no matter what and babies being born and little dogs with huge hearts and words that come when you think all the ideas have died and oh so very much.

"Something Incredible."

Look for something today. It won't be a "flash-bang" fireworks display. It's the quiet things. Find them, and celebrate.