I’m back at the coffee shop, coffee in one hand and my new (yet old) letter in the other.

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Hello Friend,

Maybe this story will help to make my point in the last letter just a little clearer.

There’s this middle aged mother who has two daughters. Both daughters work at the family retail store.

The first daughter, Sally, gets up early every morning. Skips breakfast most mornings because there’s just so much to do! At the store she’ll constantly run hither and fro making sure everything is working spotlessly. Everyone praises her for her excellent ability as running the machine. And she’ll beam with cheer. But every night, after making sure that everything is polished and nothing awry, she’ll stumble home. Skip dinner, because it’s too late, and also, she has to get up early. Then every night she’ll drink herself to sleep. Playing through every irritating moment of the day. Furious at every encounter that broke her momentum. Because, imagine, what more could she have completed if only everyone hadn’t kept getting in her way.

The second daughter, Silvia, sometimes forgets to turn on her alarm. But she understands that she’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. She’ll still, of course, stop in the kitchen to, at least, mix up some porridge and make some toast. Then she’ll waltz into the store right as the fifth customer in the waiting line starts to complain. With a beaming face she’ll shout, “Good morning!” And everyone will, some begrudgingly, return with hellos and heys. At about quarter of the way through the day Silvia will walk over and grab some coffee, quite likely leaving a splash on the floor, as she excitedly looks through the new items that Sally is perfectly placing throughout the store. Silvia usually ignores Sally’s growls of bewilderment at her aloofness, choosing instead to great her with a “Howdedo sis!” When the store closes Silvia will invite Sally to join her and her friends at the old pub, then head over alone. A little bewildered. She’ll then play a few rounds of pool and walk home for some ice cream with her mom. After that it’s off to bed, after just one more bowl of ice cream, of course. Sometimes she’ll wake up a few hours later to the door slamming shut and shout, “GOOD NIGHT SIS!” then roll over and fall asleep again.

Which of these two do you imagine is experiencing this gift of grace and hope? The realization that you’re not alone and that it’s not over? Which one is experiencing the abundant life?

That’s all for now friend. All the best.

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With that I jump on my bike and peddle home.