There is a couch

It was early - very early in the morning. The phone rang about 1:30 this morning - then I had to call parents about their son who had been taken to the hospital. I couldn't go back to sleep - go figure...  Too many thoughts of the student, those parents shaken out of bed by my phone call, their worries, thoughts of the worries I have about my own children - as well as plenty of other thoughts about my job.

My job, my work, my vocation, my 7:30-5:15 with lunch at my desk and evenings after my kids go to bed job, my calling...

Back in Minnesota, there is a couch. It sits in a small office with one window up on the hill in St. Peter. Many people know the couch- In my time with the couch, it served many uses - storage shelf, coloring table, sorting machine, footrest, hiding place, meeting room, Sabbath space, study nook...

Most of the time however, it was a safe place. Many have shared their joys, their sorrows, their anger and frustration, their secrets, their dreams - their hearts - on the couch. Many have called it magic - some I imagine, have quietly cursed having had to sit there~

I am thankful so many found time to sit on the couch - to share outside of themselves all that they were living....  I treasure every moment  and I hope those who have known the couch have benefited from their time with it. My 10 years with the couch is a gift I can never repay~

Here in Colorado, there is a couch...