A Note To The Reader.

During the pandemic, I have been reading Ecclesiastes several times. Reading through Ecclesiastes is like talking with a sharp middle-aged critic who tells you how to live your life by turning your view of the world upside down. One way he does this is by comparing aspects of life to "Hevel," a Hebrew word that literally translates to vapor or smoke but is commonly translated to meaningless or vanity of vanity in modern English translations.  The author is trying to allude to is life is like smoke or vapor you can see, but it's always changing and impossible to grasp in your hand. The author argues that we can't control our lives because of this, so we must learn to live our lives with an open spirit because the only thing we can control is our attitude.

I don't know about you, but I have felt more in exile or that my world has been flipped upside over the past ten months than I have ever in my life. Working in investments, I have gone from working 10-12-hour days in the office to being lucky to stretch my work to 3-4 hours a day at home. I have gone from enjoying Thai food at Malai to having to have it delivered. I have gone from being able to see friends and family to having to limit my interactions. The meaning of all of this is hard to understand and grasp. Life takes one shape, and before you know, it takes another.  I genuinely am powerless to the situation, but regardless of my power to control the situation, I can have a joyous attitude, love God, and keep His commandments.