Reflections by Arlene Cook

Silver Star Estates Reunion 2026 It Started with Facebook There are friends you keep through the years — the ones who stay tethered no matter what life asks of you. I’ve been blessed with a few of those. Very few. But they are some of the most valuable connections I carry. Then there are others. The ones you drift from — not because anything broke, but because life gets loud and full and you get wrapped up in living it. Seasons change. Some move. Trials arrive. And somehow, a

We have a travel rule, Jim and I. Always leave room for a detour. Not the kind that adds hours to a trip — just the kind that adds life to it. The unexpected turn down an unfamiliar road. The little town that doesn’t show up on any highlight reel but somehow feels like it’s been waiting for you. The places where people still know their neighbors, where time moves a little slower, where beauty hasn’t been curated — it’s just there, growing wild along the edges of ordinary life

“Look! Look! It’s so beautiful!” Her excitement was contagious. I was actually running on time for the meeting, but…I couldn’t help myself. “WOW!” It was all I could say. “The meeting is just going to have to wait!” The next thing you know I was looking for a door. I couldn’t wait to get out there. Nature has a way of declaring the Presence of God. I quickly walked out. The fresh smell of early morning filling me with the goodness of God’s love. I took in a deep breath. Then

ou know that first sip of iced tea on a scorching day—the way it cools you from the inside out? Maybe life with God is meant to be savored the same way: pausing long enough to taste the goodness scattered through our ordinary moments.