Change: Inevitable?

Recently, as I was driving to a recycling center, I got to thinking about how many times the location of the nearest recycling bins has changed: there have been at least three different spots in recent memory. That musing led to my reflecting on other parts of the past that I wish were unaltered:

* Pelham Palace was a local restaurant that served the best cornbread I’ve ever put in my mouth. (Excuse me a moment while I wipe the drool from my chin.) But alas, the Palace has been gone for many decades.

* When interstate highways were new, the small amount of traffic on them made a daylong excursion seem like a Sunday afternoon drive on a country road – and it was a lot faster. Lately though, I’ve come to prefer going by way of country roads – no matter what day of the week it is.

* After we moved into our last house and Jean and I were finishing the landscaping, the two of us spread 18 cubic yards of hardwood mulch in one day. Today that amount of work would take . . . well, rather than you wait while I do the calculation, I need to move along while the millennium is still young.

I’ve also witnessed changes to places I’ve photographed:

The juniper snag framing this iconic butte
rotted away some years ago.

The wildflowers in this spot no longer exist.
Surrounding vegetation grew up, blocking needed sunlight.

The trees in this photo were cut down
to make room for a housing development.

I confess that some changes are good:

* I enjoy retirement more than I enjoyed working.

* Cataract surgery several years ago enabled me to stop wearing glasses.

* Moving to a condo greatly reduced the amount of yard work my wife and I have to do.

Amid life’s myriad changes, whether undesirable or beneficial, it is vitally important that I have some touchstones that do not change. These unwavering landmarks provide anchors during the tsunamic changes that seem to come with ever-increasing rapidity. For me, the most important of these standards is Jesus Christ. His nature and character, his love and mercy, as well as the truth he preached and exampled will always be unalterable, forever dependable. For this, I am eternally grateful.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

– Hebrews 13:8 (New Living Translation)