The Meandering Mind of a Christian Woman

            Chocolate. Just the word chocolate evokes certain emotions in people. The majority of people I know usually respond with a hearty yes or mmmmm and a smile. I do know a few people who do not like it, it’s alright though, we can still be friends. As I considered my response to a bit of chocolate yesterday it occurred to me that it isn’t just the taste; eating chocolate is an experience in taste, texture, aroma and pleasure. Personally, my preference is plain milk chocolate. I prefer to bite through it without interruption and allow it to melt on my tongue.             Then I made the comparison of chocolate to my faith walk; is that an experience too? What type of experience is it? Does my faith cause other to smile and crave a knowledge of what I have in my walk with Christ? Is my faith experience as rich as or better than a chocolate experience? Actually, I would say yes but I don’t know if it is as apparent to others as it is to me. How about you?             The fait

            Back in December I had a knee replacement and spent several weeks recovering while on pain medication. This partially explains my absence in the last few months. Today, marks a few memorable occasions in my life. Seven years ago today my husband passed away. Four years ago today my daughter was diagnosed with MS and admitted to the hospital. One year ago today my mother had a serious seizure that landed her in the hospital and accelerated her decline into severe dementia. Today, I ran my first 5K since my knee surgery. My goal was simply to not be last to cross the finish line. I met that goal and even did better than I expected.             As I ran, jogged, walked and wheezed my way through this race and pondered my goal; I was inspired to think about the ultimate finish line. My goal was related to my own pride.  As a lifelong Christian I have been glad that I am not the last in line to know Jesus as my Savior. However, it can be a trap to think that way, to think tha