Do you ever wish sometimes that life could be simpler?  I mean – take restaurant menus for example.  Do you remember when the only choices at McDonald’s were hamburgers, fries, and shakes?  Now they have quarter pounders, fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and wraps, and – well – you know what I mean.  And what about phone numbers?  Everyone had ONE phone number – their house phone.  Today there are cell phones, pagers, email addresses, websites, twitter and tweet sites.    And the grocery store didn’t take you a couple of hours to get through in the old days.

Today I learned to appreciate that we have choices.

I went with my friend to visit her husband at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.  (For those of you who know who I am talking about – he is doing fantastic!)  That medical center is HUGE!  There are at least 2 hospitals and tons of medical services for every specialty.  There are several parking structures – each numbered and specific to the different buildings.  There are roads running in circles around the numerous buildings that make up the center, with driveways in and out everywhere.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan_Health_System
Once inside the complex, you can walk for miles and still be lost!  But I was impressed.  There is a lot of good to be said for your small town hospital – with, perhaps, more personal care given, familiar faces, and easier and more navigable surroundings.  But if you have a major medical need, I don’t think you can go wrong with a huge medical center like this one in Ann Arbor with all the specialized care there.  It’s a good thing that when it comes to medical care, there are different places and doctors to choose from.

After our visit, we went to Zingerman’s Bakehouse and Zingerman’s Creamery.  OMG!  Can you say currant rugelach?  Or burnt sugar gelato?  The breads and the cheeses – oh my!  I am so glad that Zingerman’s can produce foods that go way beyond a glazed donut, or plain vanilla ice cream!  They sell this cheese that they make there called “Detroit Street Brick” and it’s a fresh goats milk cheese with green peppercorns in it.  I love that stuff!
http://www.zingermansbakehouse.com/
http://www.zingermanscreamery.com/
Forget Wonder Bread and American cheese and give me Zingerman’s anytime!

Kudos to both U of M Medical Center and Zingerman’s for offering choices in our health care and what crosses our palates!

And now – kudos to Beth Moore and Living Proof Ministries.  If you haven’t done one of her bible studies before – you’re really missing out.  I did her study, “Believing God” through my church – and it was a life-changer for me.
http://www.lifeway.com/n/Popular-Authors/Beth-Moore?002=2138335&004=5790814677&005=127200182&006=26284079157&007=Search&008=
Right now I am working through her study, “Beloved Disciple.”  She was discussing the early disciples of God and how they tried to be pillars of the early church.  But these guys, like James, Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, all had such tainted and scarred pasts – who’d have thought they could come together to be leaders?  She described them as ‘unlikely brothers … never designed to match … each one distinct.’  She asks, “What need would cookie-cutter disciples meet?”  And then goes on to explain, “None of us were meant to match.  We were meant to fit together!  Two identical puzzle pieces don’t fit.  Oh, that we would celebrate that difference!”

What good would it have been if God had created us all the same?  Thank goodness we are all different.  Thank goodness we can enjoy our differences and choose who we fit best with!  I am sure you were wondering where I was going with this blog today – my thoughts sometimes really boomerang around in my head some days.  But it all seemed to have a common thread and theme when I looked back on my day and realized that diversity (of medical care, of foods, and of our friends and people around us) and having so many options and choices is such a gift for all of us.

I shall now go nibble some of my goat cheese with green peppercorns.

Did I mention the Fig Almond cake I bought?

Bliss.

Just Laurel

“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all it’s flavour.”
―    William Cowper