And it came to pass . . .if we let it

Saturday. Sofa. Coffee

It is almost cool this morning.

There were times during the past few weeks I wondered if it could ever be cool again.

But it is. In the heat of things it is hard to remember that things change. In a little while it will be cooler. A little bit longer and it will be cold. (At least here in the temperate zone). But the hope of that change is hard to remember when the heat seems to threaten my next breath.

I looked back over my blog posts for the past couple of years. There were many moments of heat, not the thermal energy kind, but the human condition kind. Wars, racism, presidential elections, governor's elections, Supreme Court decisions, second amendment issues, health care reform, earthquakes, tornadoes, unfair taxes, immigration issues, economic catastrophe, and the role of government. And that doesn't count the vague references to moments of heat in my personal life, which shall remain vague, but which certainly left me breathless.

It is interesting to look back at those moments in which I was so thoroughly engulfed. It seemed as if there was no end in sight to the heat.

But the heat is gone from many of those things, for good or bad. There is always a new fire to run toward with bucket in hand.

We have all heard that the discovery and control of fire was a major leap in the progression of humanity.

But fire is a tricky thing. Under control it can be transforming. It can make food edible and safe, turn stony elements into liquid, provide heat against oppressive cold, provide power for transportation and manufacture.

But out of control, it is destructive.

Sometimes in our attempt to deal with the fires we go through we are reckless. In our beating and flailing to put out the flames we only fan them higher and hotter, all the while screaming at someone else for doing the same, only from a different direction.

And fire is no respecter of persons. If the fire gets too hot, we all burn together.

The heat of the moment will pass, if we let it.

And then maybe we can get things under control.

.