I drove home last night.

About 35 miles, through Lawrence, then east on I-70, and over onto 435 in Kansas City.

It was only when I turned onto Parallel Parkway, about a mile from my house, that I realized:

My car lights weren’t on.

– – –

Nobody flashed their brights at me.  Nobody honked their horn at me.

Thank God nobody swerved into me.

How disconcerting, looking back at the past few moments of your life, realizing you’d been putting yourself or others in danger

without even realizing it.

– – –

I’m sad to say it wasn’t the first time I’d driven in the dark.

I can think of whole stretches of my life,

stretches when I was swerving all over the road, clueless to my blindness,

clueless to obstacles (people) who might be in my way.

Thinking I was fooling everybody,

or maybe I wasn’t thinking at all.

– – –

When I think of my catalog of sins,

I’m aware that near the top of the page lies the category of inattentiveness.

The sin of not living alertly, passionately.  Deliberately.

I cannot change my reckless past, but I can dedicate this next mile to The One who makes each day worth while.

And each night, too.

– – –

This is my evening prayer,

as I reach over

and turn on

my lights.

– – –

Have a great week,

Mitch