Connections

It’s been a few days since I last wrote.  I dunno.  It just seems like the days fly around here.  Then at night when things quiet down, I’m too tired to do much thinking, let alone writing.  So, that’s the way it is.
We’re thinking about going to Western Kansas on our next weekend off.  We used to live out there, and think that maybe seeing the folks at church on a Sunday next month might be a good thing.  Of course, we’d stop in Central Kansas on the way out there, in order to see the in-laws.  We’d then take our time going on out to God’s country.
In many ways, it is indeed God’s country.  Sparse, expansive, and exquisite, the Western Kansas prairie is truly one of the wonders of the world.  If you haven’t taken the time to become acquainted with the short-grass prairie and the people who live with it, you’ve truly missed something special.
Impossible to tame, the prairies of Western Kansas only allow humanity to scratch out an existence and a living in accordance with the laws of the prairie, not the laws of mankind.  When man understands that it is the prairie that is in control, he does rather well, living in a sort of symbiotic relationship with it.  When man forgets and thinks he’s the cheese, the prairie bites back, and does so in a way that makes for an indelible lesson in humility.
That kind of living also makes the people who are there a bit different than those who live in a more citified and artificial existence.  Folks there are more down to earth…pragmatic…normal, if you will.  Yes, they still have the normal human frailties…greedy…gossips…indulgent.  But they also have a way of thinking, living, and relating to others that is refreshing and soulful.
We cherish our Western Kansas connections, and hope we’ll be able to make the trip soon.